Chicken Pot Pie Casserole With Biscuits
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Nobody wants to cut into a pot pie casserole and find raw and doughy biscuits underneath. This chicken pot pie casserole with biscuits won’t do that. The biscuits are flaky and cooked through on top, with a creamy filling loaded with chicken and veggies underneath.
It’s finally cold here in Maine, and I’m holding out as long as I can before turning on the heat. This is the time I gravitate toward meaty casseroles to warm my bones, and what’s cozier than a chicken pot pie in casserole form?
I wanted a shortcut because sometimes I just don’t want to make homemade pie dough. But “easier than making pie dough” turned out to be a loaded claim.
After testing this recipe a dozen times with different toppings, filling ratios, and baking methods, I landed on refrigerated Pillsbury Grands biscuits, AND partially baking them before adding them to the filling.
Giving the biscuits a head start on a sheet pan lets the outsides set, helping keep the bottoms from soaking up moisture (a common complaint in most recipes). When I added raw biscuits, they stayed doughy underneath while the filling evaporated, waiting for them to brown.
The result is exactly what I want: flaky, golden biscuits and a creamy filling loaded with chicken and veggies. A cozy dinner as I settle into a long winter.
Why This Chicken Pot Pie Casserole Recipe Works
- Par-baking gives the biscuits a head start so they bake through without drying out the filling. I use the same approach in my tater tot sloppy joe casserole to get a crisp topping while keeping the filling saucy.
- The filling is made with a roux and a simple chicken broth and milk mixture so that the filling is thick and creamy like gravy, without canned soup.
- Using shortcut ingredients like frozen veggies and precooked chicken cuts down on time, but also provides consistent measurements and results.
- I tested both raw and par-baked biscuits to find what works best for this casserole filling and worked out the kinks so you don’t have to.
Ingredients
- Salted butter – You need 8 tablespoons total, split three ways. One tablespoon greases the baking dish, one gets brushed on the biscuits before they go in the oven, and the other six make the roux that thickens the filling.
- All-purpose flour – For the roux. This lets you get away with a thick, creamy pot pie filling without canned soup.
- Yellow onion and celery – Cooked until soft, they build the flavor base. This is the same start as my Tuna Noodle Casserole filling.
- Garlic and dried thyme – Garlic is a great fresh flavor, and thyme is my favorite herb to add to any casserole. It makes the filling more savory and tastes fabulous with chicken and veggies.
- Chicken stock – I make my own using Better Than Bouillon. The flavor is a lot more savory, richer, and you can control the salt. I use the regular “roasted chicken” flavor, and not the low sodium one.
- Whole milk – Makes the filling creamy without making it heavy.
- Cooked chicken – 16 ounces, cubed or shredded. Rotisserie chicken is a great option. Leftover cooked chicken breasts or leftover turkey works too.
- Frozen southern style hashbrowns – These are the frozen, diced potatoes (not shredded) without added onions. I love potatoes in my pot pie, and these save me the hassle of peeling, chopping, and precooking. They also absorb some of the gravy, helping the filling thicken.
- Frozen peas and carrots – One 12-ounce bag. I add them frozen to the filling.
- Kosher salt and pepper – Taste the filling before the biscuits go on, and adjust as needed.
- Pillsbury Grands Original refrigerated biscuits – One can of 8 biscuits. They’re the perfect size for a 9×13-inch pan and sturdy enough to sit on the hot filling without sinking. I prefer Grands because the layers make it easier to check for doneness after baking.
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole With Biscuits
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the inside of a 9×13 baking dish and set the rest aside for the top of the biscuits.
Step 2:
Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and celery and cook over medium heat until soft.
Note: It will look like too much butter, but don’t worry, the butter is for making the roux later.
Step 3:
Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the flour and stir for about a minute so it coats everything and cooks out the raw flour taste.
Step 4:
Pour in the chicken stock slowly while stirring. Let it simmer until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, then stir in the milk. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Step 5:
Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked chicken, hash browns, and frozen peas and carrots. The pan will be full, so stir carefully. Once the veggies are coated, set it aside to tend to the biscuits.
Step 6:
Arrange the canned biscuits on a parchment-lined sheet pan and partially bake for 8 minutes. The biscuits will have risen with some layers exposed. The bottom of the biscuits will be golden, but the tops should be pale.
Step 7:
While the biscuits bake, bring the filling back up to a simmer over medium heat. The filling needs to be hot when you top it with biscuits.
Tip: If the filling is simmering before the biscuits are finished baking, turn the heat to low and cover it until the biscuits come out. We want the filling waiting for the biscuits, not the other way around.
Step 8:
Pour the hot filling into the buttered baking dish. Set the biscuits on top with the golden bottoms down in the filling, three along each long edge and two down the middle. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining melted butter.
Step 9:
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, then tent the casserole loosely with foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes more. The casserole is done when the biscuits are golden and baked through (see below for how to tell), and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Let the casserole rest for 15 minutes before serving so the pot pie filling thickens up.
How To Tell When Biscuits Are Done
Lift a biscuit layer, and if the center looks fully baked and fluffy, the biscuit is done. To be even more precise, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of a biscuit. The biscuit is done baking when it reaches 190°F.
How to Keep the Biscuits from Getting Soggy
Partially bake the biscuits first. I tested raw biscuits straight from the can. They cooked through, but didn’t rise or brown properly and stayed heavy and doughy underneath. A head start on a sheet pan gives them the dry heat they need to rise, brown, and set before touching the wet filling.
Have the filling hot and ready when the biscuits come out of the oven. In my tests, letting the biscuits cool added about 5 minutes to the baking time and left them sitting in the gravy longer.
Tips For The Best Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits
- Read the whole recipe once before you begin. This and having all the ingredients prepped before you start is a big time saver.
- Using a dark-coated sheet pan? Par-bake the biscuits at 350°F instead of 375°F. Once they’re on the filling, bake the casserole at 375°F.
- Add the stock slowly and keep stirring so the flour doesn’t clump. Let the filling simmer and thicken before the next step.
- Bake the biscuits while the filling returns to a simmer. The casserole bakes quicker when both the filling and the biscuits are hot going into the oven.
- The crisp bottoms of the par-baked biscuits go into the gravy. This helps keep them from getting doughy, while the pale tops face up so they can brown.
- Let the casserole rest before serving. The filling will look loose when it comes out of the oven. A 15-minute rest will thicken the filling, so don’t skip this step.
Variations and Substitutions
- Chicken – Rotisserie chicken, Perdue Short Cuts, or leftover cooked chicken breast work great for the filling.
- Leftover turkey – This is one of the best uses for leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Swap it in for the chicken, same amount.
- Fresh vegetables – Add diced carrots with the onion and celery so they soften. Stir fresh or frozen peas in with the chicken. You want 2½ cups of peas and carrots total.
- Cream or half and half – Use it in place of the whole milk for a richer filling.
- Skip the potatoes – You can leave out the hash browns. The filling will be a little looser, since the potatoes soak up some of the liquid.
- Add green beans – Add a cup of frozen green beans with the peas and carrots if your family likes it.
FAQs
Doughy biscuits usually mean they went on raw, the filling wasn’t hot enough, the par-baked biscuits cooled too much, or the casserole needed more time in the oven. Par-baking gives refrigerated biscuits a head start on rising and forms a crust to help protect the bottoms from the gravy. Have the filling hot and ready when the biscuits come out. If either has cooled, allow another 5–7 minutes of baking and loosely cover with foil to prevent burning. The biscuits are done when they’ve risen, feel dry around the edges, and reach 190°F in the center. You can also gently peel back the top of a biscuit to check inside. If it’s still doughy, cover and bake another 5 minutes.
Yes! I tested homemade buttermilk biscuits, too, and they need a different baking method. Place them raw on the hot filling (no par-baking these) and bake at 400°F or 425°F (depending on what your favorite recipe calls for) for 20–30 minutes, until the tops are golden and the centers are set. For refrigerated biscuits, follow the par-baking method and temperatures in the recipe.
What to Serve with It
This is a full meal on its own. If you want something on the side, keep it simple with a fresh fall salad with a sharp dressing, sautéed green beans, or applesauce for the kids. For another easy comfort dinner on a cold night, my Crockpot Pot Roast or Chicken Parm Casserole is in the same lane.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover casserole covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The filling will thicken more as it chills, and the biscuits will soften a little, but they reheat well.
How to Reheat
For a single portion: microwave for about 2 minutes. To keep the biscuit soft, lift it off, heat the filling first, then set the biscuit back on top for the last 30 seconds so it doesn’t dry out.
To reheat a larger amount: put the leftover pot pie in a casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more to crisp up the biscuits and finish warming the filling.
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Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- ½ yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup whole milk
- 16 ounces cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (3½ to 4 cups)
- 1 cup frozen southern style hash browns, (these are the diced ones)
- 1 bag (12 ounces) frozen peas and carrots (2½ cups)
- 1 can (8 count) Pillsbury Grands Original refrigerated biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Brush 1 tablespoon over the inside of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set the other tablespoon aside for brushing the biscuit tops later.
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened. It will look like a lot of butter, but you’ll need it to thicken the gravy.
- Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to coat the vegetables and cook out the raw flour flavor.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, until thick like gravy. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the milk and give the filling a taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the chicken, hash browns, and frozen peas and carrots until everything is coated in gravy. The frozen vegetables will cool the filling and make it thicken right away. That’s normal! Set the filling aside while you get the biscuits into the oven.
- Open the can of biscuits and place all 8 biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 8 minutes to partially cook them. They should rise and have visible layers, with pale tops and golden bottoms. They will still be raw inside.
- While the biscuits bake, bring the filling back up to a simmer over medium heat. If it starts bubbling before the biscuits are ready, reduce the heat to low and cover to keep it hot.
- As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, assemble the casserole so the filling and biscuits stay hot. Pour the hot filling into the buttered baking dish. Place the biscuits on top with their golden bottoms touching the filling. Arrange three along each long side and two down the middle. Brush the tops with the reserved tablespoon of melted butter.
- Bake uncovered at 375°F for 10 minutes, until the biscuit tops are golden. The centers will still need more time to cook. Loosely cover with foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are cooked through and the filling bubbles around the edges.
- Check the biscuits before taking the casserole out of the oven. They should have risen and feel dry around the outer edges. Gently pull back a layer near the center of a biscuit, the dough underneath should be fully baked and fluffy. If the center is still doughy, cover and bake for another 5 minutes, then check again.
- Let the casserole rest for 15 minutes before serving so the filling can thicken.
Notes
- Butter: 8 tablespoons total. 1 tablespoon for the baking dish, 1 tablespoon brushed on the biscuits before the par-bake, 6 tablespoons for the roux.
- Doneness check: Peel back the top layer of a biscuit and look at the center. If it looks and feels doughy, cover with foil and bake 5 more minutes. The internal temperature should be 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days. Microwave individual portions for about 2 minutes, or reheat in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5–10 minutes to crisp the biscuits.
