Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry (Trader Joe’s Shortcut)

This easy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff pastry is the ultimate shortcut comfort food! Inspired by a viral Trader Joe’s chicken pot pie circulating on social media, my version uses creamy broccoli cheddar soup as a quick creamy base, tender rotisserie chicken, and some frozen vegetables, all topped with golden, flaky puff pastry. I’ve also included notes below of how to make this dish if you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s. It’s a cozy, family-friendly dinner with hardly any prep work, but major pay-off!

baked chicken pot pie in a skillet

Ingredients Needed

This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.

  • Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup – this is a ready-made soup sold at Trader Joes. For my 12″ cast iron skillet, I use two 20-ounce containers. You could easily cut this recipe in half if you want to try just one container on a 9-inch pie plate. If Trader Joes isn’t an option for you, I’m not sure of a great replacement, but you could look for another ready-made similar soup. This one is very thick, which is important here!
  • Shredded Cooked Chicken – I used Costco rotisserie chicken. Trader Joes also sells a cooked shredded rotisserie, or you could cook your own chicken at home.
  • Puff Pastry Dough – find this in the frozen section. Trader Joes sells a wonderful all-butter version. You can also find Pepperidge Farm brand in most all standard grocery stores.
  • Frozen Vegetables – this step is optional, but feel free to add some frozen vegetables in if you like. I did thin-cut green beans and peas. The soup does have broccoli and carrots already so feel free to skip the extra veggies if you’d like.

How to Make

This is just a quick overview so you get the idea. Full printable recipe is below!

  1. Mix the vegetables, soup, and chicken and place in your skillet or baking dish. NOTE: I gave my veggies a quick saute to evaporate the water and warm them up, but honestly you could probably just mix them in there frozen if you want.
  2. Cut thawed pastry dough into squares and layer them over the top.
  3. Pop in the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbling through. Yum!
finished pot pie in a skillet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen vegetables in chicken pot pie?

Absolutely. Frozen veggies work great here, and no need to thaw them first. I warm mine up before mixing in, but truly I think you could also just toss them in frozen!

Can I make this without Trader Joe’s Ingredients?

You bet. While this recipe is inspired by the viral TJ’s chicken pot pie, you can make it with ingredients from any grocery store. Look for a prepared broccoli cheddar soup with a thick, creamy consistency (the deli area is a great place to look, where they often have refrigerated soups instead of canned). You could also substitute cream of chicken soup, though the flavor and consistency would be different than the recipe here.

Can I make this chicken pot pie without a cast iron skillet?

Of course! This recipe can be prepared in a 9×13 baking dish, or cut down in a standard pie plate. You could even do individual serving sizes in small baking dishes. It’s very flexible!

Can I make this with biscuits on top?

Yes! If you’d like a soft biscuit topping instead of puff pastry, just sub any tube of refrigerated biscuit dough, like Trader Joe’s or a standard grocery store brand. Place on top instead of the puff pastry. Optionally you can brush them with butter before baking. Important: Use the baking temperature of the biscuit package (usually 350) and bake until golden brown.

plated serving of chicken pot pie with a puff pastry crust
finished pot pie in a skillet

Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Crust (Trader Joes Short Cut!)

This easy pot pie recipes uses some shortcut ingredients for a quick creamy center and golden puffy crust.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings6

Ingredients

  • 2 20oz Containers Trader Joe's Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • 3 cups diced or shredded chicken Rotisserie chicken works great
  • 1 12 oz box puff pastry thawed in fridge.
  • 1½ cup assorted frozen veggies optional
  • 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

    I'm making this recipe in a 12″ cast iron skillet, but it's very flexible. You could also cook in a 9×13 pan, or make a smaller batch in a standard pie plate or other baking dish.
  • Preheat oven to 400℉
  • Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet to medium heat. Add a small drizzle of oil or a pat of butter. If using optional vegetables, give them a quick saute to warm up and evaporate water.
    Note: You could also just zap them in the microwave. (I also think you could just toss them in frozen, but I haven't tried that yet- let me know if you do!)
  • Add broccoli cheddar soup and chicken and stir to combine. I like to add a small sprinkle of salt and a few cracks of black pepper at this point as well. Remove from heat.
  • Unroll your pastry sheets. Cut puff pastry dough into 1 1/2" (ish) squares and overlap pieces slightly to cover the top of your baking dish. Use a sharp knife to poke 2-3 vent holes on top.
    Note: Standard boxes come with 2 sheets, depending on the pan size you use, you may use between 1-2 sheets.
  • If you'd like to use a soft biscuit topping in place of puff pastry, see info in note section below.
  • In a small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt until very smooth. Brush egg wash on top of pastry dough (you might not use the whole egg, just use enough to lightly coat the top)
  • Place pan in oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Pastry should be deep golden brown and pot pie mixture should be bubbly.
    Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

If you’d like a soft biscuit topping instead of puff pastry, just sub any tube of refrigerated biscuit dough, like Trader Joe’s or a standard grocery store brand.
Place biscuit dough on top instead of the puff pastry. Optionally you can brush them with butter before baking. Important: Use the baking temperature of the biscuit package (usually 350) and bake until golden brown.
Course: Main Courses
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken pot pie with puff pastry, Easy chicken pot pie
Cost: $20
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!

woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

Read More

Join The Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating