My chicken and mushroom pie is classic comfort food—flaky puff pastry, tender chicken, earthy mushrooms and smoky bacon bound in a creamy, stable sauce. It’s the cosy, crowd-pleasing bake I reach for on blustery evenings. Below I share straightforward tips that make it consistently excellent.
“Wow the best thing my Mrs has tasted this year she reckons. Had no thyme, but added a little paprika and a pinch of chilli instead, it’s what was on hand. Thanks for the recipe it’s a cracker.”
– Shane
Nicky’s Notes
This pie is fully encased in pastry—base, sides and lid—for maximum flakiness in every slice.
I use three sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry: one-and-a-half for the base and one-and-a-half for the top so every slice has golden layers.
Why this Chicken and Mushroom Pie works:
- I blind-bake the base briefly to avoid soggy bottoms.
- A flour-thickened stock-and-milk sauce gives a silky, stable filling that won’t split.
- Bacon and thyme create a savoury backbone; lemon juice brightens the richness.
- Ready-rolled puff pastry keeps preparation simple while giving good lift.
- The filling-to-sauce balance keeps it creamy but sliceable.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- 📋 Ingredients Swaps & Substitutions
- How to make this chicken and mushroom pie
- Recipe Tips
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe
- 🥧 More Perfect Pies
📋 Ingredients Swaps & Substitutions
Simple substitutions to use what you have:
- Chicken: thighs or leftover roast chicken both work well—add cooked roast chicken at the end.
- Mushrooms: replace with leeks (raw, sliced), sautéed carrots, or par-cooked potato if preferred.
- Herbs: tarragon or parsley are good alternatives to thyme.
- Bacon: use pancetta or smoked lardons instead.
- Pastry: use a shortcrust base with a puff lid for a sturdier bottom.
How to make this chicken and mushroom pie
Full recipe with detailed steps appears in the recipe card below.
Start by blind-baking the pastry base. While it bakes, seal the chicken in a hot pan, then remove it and soften onions in butter. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and thyme to coat the onions, then gradually whisk in hot stock to avoid lumps. Add milk and cook until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan with the sealed chicken and chopped cooked bacon. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, then spoon the mixture into the blind-baked shell. Brush the rim with egg wash, add the top pastry, brush the lid with egg and cut a couple of small vents to release steam.
Bake for about 20–25 minutes at 200°C/400°F fan until the pastry is golden and the filling is hot.
Recipe Tips
- If your pastry sheets are rectangular, overlap them by 1–2cm, press firmly and roll the join so it bakes seamlessly.
- Blind bake properly: push parchment into the corners and fill to the top with baking beans so the sides don’t slump.
- Brush the exposed rim with egg wash before adding the lid and crimp firmly—egg-on-egg acts as edible glue.
- Cut two small steam holes in the top to control vents and prevent leaks while keeping the pastry puffed.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
One of the perks of this pie: if someone at the table doesn’t like mushrooms, more of them usually end up on my plate.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This creamy pie pairs well with:
- Simple greens—spring greens, steamed vegetables or buttered carrots.
- Buttery mashed potatoes, crispy smashed potatoes, or oven chips.
The filling is creamy but restrained—enough sauce for flavour without the pie collapsing when you serve it.
📺 Watch how to make it
Watch the step-through video for timings, texture cues and pastry-crimping tips.
Click the stars to rate or comment
Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 x 320 g (3 x 11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 50 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) hot chicken stock (water + 2 stock cubes is fine)
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk (half or full-fat)
- 240 g (1/2 lb) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 8 strips of cooked bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (fan).
- Unroll the 3 pastry rolls. Slice one roll lengthways to join to another so you have two large sheets—one-and-a-half rolls for the base, one-and-a-half for the lid.
- Line a 26cm (10.2″) pie dish with the prepared base pastry, leaving a 1–2cm overhang for shrinkage.
- Prick the base several times with a fork, line with parchment and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 10 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom. Remove beans and parchment when cool enough to handle.
- Add the oil to a pan and fry the chicken pieces for 5–6 minutes until sealed. Remove and set aside.
- Add butter and onions to the pan over medium-high heat and cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
- Stir in salt, pepper, thyme and flour to coat the onions.
- Whisk in the hot stock gradually to avoid lumps, then add the milk and cook until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
- Add mushrooms, chicken, bacon and lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat. The mushrooms will finish cooking in the oven.
- Spoon the filling into the pie base, brush the pastry rim with egg wash, top with the remaining pastry and pinch the edges to seal.
- Trim excess pastry (save trimmings for decorations), brush the top with egg wash and cut a couple of small vents in the lid.
- Bake at 200°C/400°F (fan) for 20–25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is hot throughout.
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Cook the pie but reduce oven time by about 5 minutes, cool, cover and refrigerate. To reheat, remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F, cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes until hot throughout. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more to crisp the pastry.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Cook the pie slightly less than the full time, cool, cover and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator, then reheat as above.
Why blind bake?
The pie isn’t in the oven long enough to cook the base pastry fully before the top browns. Blind baking prevents a soggy bottom.
Baking beans
Reusable baking beans or a mix of dried beans and rice work well. Store them in a jar after they cool and reuse for blind baking.
I don’t like mushrooms
Omit the mushrooms and add extra bacon, or substitute leeks, sautéed carrots or par-cooked potato.
Nutritional information is per serving and approximate.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 51 g |
Protein: 23 g |
Fat: 48 g |
Saturated Fat: 14 g |
Cholesterol: 75 mg |
Sodium: 745 mg |
Fiber: 1 g |
Sugar: 3 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This chicken and mushroom pie recipe was first posted in March 2019 and has been updated with improvements since.
🥧 More Perfect Pies
Chicken
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie
Dinner
Chicken and Ham Pie
Dinner
Rich and Tasty Slow-Cooked Steak Pie
Cakes & Desserts
Deep Dish Apple Pie Recipe
British Classic Recipes
Individual Chip Shop Style Cheese & Onion Pie
Cakes & Desserts
Blueberry Crumble Pie
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. The nutritional information provided is approximate. For more information see our Terms & Conditions.