Amazingly Simple Butternut Squash & Mushroom with Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pies
Simple, easy peasy – these quick prep savory chicken or turkey pot pies filled with butternut squash, mushrooms, and oniony goodness, the most delicious savory gravy, and topped with a buttery puff pastry crust is all-American comfort food at its finest. Warm your house and fill your belly with this version of an iconic classic dish for individual serving-size casseroles with a flakey pastry lid!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: November 1, 2022
Please note that some ingredient links in this post may have been removed or changed from our original recipe published to reflect new affiliate partnerships.
All-American Comfort Food At It's Finest
When I think of comfort foods and favorite satisfying dishes from my past, chicken or turkey pot pies are right up there at the top of the list.
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A little history…
Pot pies often appeared at my childhood supper table, thanks to the C.A. Swanson & Sons. They began manufacturing frozen oven-ready chicken and turkey TV Dinners and pot pies in small aluminum trays and pie tins in the 1950s.
In the 1960s (when I was a child), as during World War II * (see footnote below), the convenience of frozen dinners and pot pies became a popular alternative to the amount of labor and time required to prepare meals.
Back in the day...
My mom was a full-time secretary during the daytime hours while “us kids” were at school when I was growing up. To me, her impressionable daughter, Mom, was the picture of a woman’s success. And although she might feel differently in her humble opinion, she made balancing a career, home, and family look very easy.
Like many working moms still do today, she arrived home with a smile on her face at the end of her workday. Then during a flurry of dinner preparations, catching up on her family’s day’s events, and solving worldly problems in the eyes of her children, we always sat as a family to eat hearty meals together that sometimes included the convenience of Swanson chicken or turkey pot pies.
A note to pot pie healthiness, gluten-free claims, and convenience…
While some might ask, “are pot pies healthy to eat?” I’m more of the belief that it’s what’s in them that determines the dish’s value. Most importantly, if you are celiac, “Is it gluten-free?”
Healthiness:
- Study the ingredients. Product ingredients appear by quantity – the most to the least amount. This means that the first food ingredient you see makes up the most significant part of what you’re eating.
- Choose items that have whole identifiable foods. Scan the first three ingredients. If they include hydrogenated oils, types of sugars, or refined grains, you can assume that the product is unhealthy.
- Note how many ingredients are in it. If the ingredient list is longer than three lines, it suggests that the product may be highly processed.
Gluten-Free Claims:
- Look for a Certified Gluten-Free Logo. Products displaying these disclosures will be your safest choice. These companies have taken the time and invested the resources to work with a third-party certification agency.
- Take note of a “Gluten-Free” Claim. When the packaging includes a gluten-free claim, you at least know the manufacturer considered the gluten-free community in developing the product. In addition, the manufacturer has likely tested the product to ensure it contains less than 20 ppm of gluten.
- Read the Ingredient Label. The label may offer other clues like “may contain wheat” or “manufactured on shared equipment with wheat.” Decide if these claims are acceptable to you before enjoying a product.
- Contact the Manufacturer. If you’re unsure if a product contains gluten and you really want to eat it, contact the manufacturer to verify its safety.
- When in Doubt, Don’t. Most times, you can find a gluten-free substitute for a product. However, when you’re unsure if a product is safe, your best bet will be to put it back on the shelf.
- Make it yourself. Finally, one of the best ways to ensure that it’s gluten-free is to make it yourself. Making it yourself may not be the answer you were looking for, but it can be your best option. That’s why at GfreeDeliciously, we strive to help home cooks of all levels learn, practice, and grow their basic skills through easy (always gluten-free) recipes and tips to help make cooking an enjoyable experience.
Convenience:
Having been a working mom myself, and in defense of busy moms everywhere, I have a hard time accepting that the time, lest it’s “labor” in meal preparation, could ever become lost because of convenience or, for that matter, the love that goes into it. Instead, from what I’ve experienced, I can better wrap my head around the time spent preparing family meals, for the sake of convenience, a benefit for allocating time saved to other loving priorities – affording mothers the freedom they seek for activities outside the kitchen.
On to healthy attributes, with a fast forward to current times:
In these years, since frozen pot pies, I have to admit that I’m more for making chicken and turkey pot pies from scratch than serving something heated or baked from the frozen foods section of the grocery store.
But while there’s nothing wrong with quick and easy-to-fix pop-it-in-the-oven dinners, recipes such as this easy pot pie recipe makes it simple to have both a relatively quick and easy-peasy mealtime preparation. I get it, life can be hectic, and that’s why we need easy recipes in our lives.
This recipe focuses on fresh veggies, unprocessed meat, and real dairy ingredients for making chicken or turkey pot pie. The only pre-frozen inclusion is the puff pastry from the grocery frozen food section. I love this recipe because it can be made ahead of time, it’s easy to downsize for making for one or two people, and it’s from scratch make-ahead freezer-friendly too!
Picture the recipe step-by-step...
In the steps below, I cut the recipe in half to make just two pot pies, the perfect amount for Dear Hubby’s and my supper!
Preheat oven to 400°F, then heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, mushrooms, and butternut squash, sautéing about 10 minutes (if using raw diced chicken) until the chicken is no longer pink. If using leftover pre-cooked chicken or turkey, sautée the mixture for about 3-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent, and the mushrooms begin to brown.
Next, add the Pot Pie Skillet Meal Seasoning and stir to coat the ingredient mixture. Once combined, add the chicken broth and cream, then simmer for 5 minutes or until the liquid thickens into a sauce.
Transfer the mixture into oven-safe ramekins, filling equally almost to the top.
Cut puff pastry into four squares, placing one square on top of each of the ramekins.
Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the puff pastry for venting. Whisk together the egg yolk and the remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Brush the puff pastry with the yolk mixture. Place ramekins on a sturdy sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp around the edges.
Serve immediately!
Use our template to make the cute chicken/turkey design in the pot pie top!
If you’re the creative type, you may want to cut a fancy design into the pastry square before placing it on top of the ramekins. Download our simple template as a pattern, or create a design of your own.
Recipe Timesaving Tips
This recipe works great for meal prepping and freezing in advance!
To freeze portions for later, instead of filling ramekins, fill small individual portion foil pie tins to about 1/2-inch from the top. Cut puff pastry into four squares, placing one square on each portion, tucking corners toward the center. To freeze, wrap the cooled and filled pie tins tightly with aluminum foil. Place them on a sheet pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours or up to a day until they freeze, then; place the frozen pot pies into zipper bags removing as much air as possible. The pot pies will freeze beautifully for 2-3 months.
When you’re ready to bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 400˚F, then bake for 20-25 minutes with the foil on top. Remove the foil, brush with egg yolk and cream mixture, and bake for another 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly golden brown and crispy around the edges.
For more healthy recipes that you can meal prep, check out this month’s round-up of ideas in the Meal Prep Collection!
Final thoughts…
I’m sure you’ll find this recipe for simple easy-peasy Butternut Squash & Mushroom with Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pies a favorite at your table. With only a few simple, affordable ingredients, it will be a for-real dinnertime hero. I guarantee it!
It uses chicken or turkey, butternut squash, onions, fresh mushrooms, an easy homemade savory gravy made with chicken broth and cream, and topped off with a single layer of store-bought gluten-free (or regular) puff pastry.
And I’m betting that you won’t go back to buying pot pies from the store again once you try it!
Let’s get cooking GfreeDeliciously,
XXO
P.S. When you try this recipe, let us know how you like it! Leave a comment below, share it, and rate it – it’s super helpful for other readers and us. Just click the blue-green comment bubble on the bottom left of your screen to jump to the comment area below.
Footnotes:
*The frozen food industry changed dramatically surrounding the years during and after World War II. Because men were fighting on the battlefield, women became more needed in the labor force. And because women were working, it limited the amount of time they could spend preparing meals for their families, so women began to rely on the convenience of TV dinners during post-war times to save time when they got home.
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Learn how to adjust the serving size, CLICK HERE
Butternut Squash & Mushroom Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pies
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Non-stick Skillet
- Cutting Board
- Oven-Safe Ramekins
- Utensils (Cooks Knife, Measuring Cups & Spoons, Rubber Spatula or Large Spoon, Whisk, Pastry Brush)
Ingredients
For the Pot Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoons Grapeseed oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced (or use approx. 1 cup leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, chopped or diced)
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and diced
- 1 bag Skillet Meal Seasoning*
- ½ cup gluten-free low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup whipping cream or heavy cream + 1 tablespoon [1]
For the Puff Pastry Top
- 1 gluten-free puff pastry sheet thawed
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
Begin by preheating your oven to 400°F, then heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add chicken, onion, mushrooms, and butternut squash, sautéing about 10 minutes (if using raw diced chicken) until the chicken is no longer pink. If using leftover pre-cooked chicken or turkey, sautée the mixture for about 3-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent, and the mushrooms begin to brown.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 medium yellow onion, 8 ounces mushrooms, 3 cups butternut squash
- Next, add the Skillet Meal Seasoning* and stir to coat the ingredient mixture. Once combined, add the chicken broth and ½ cup cream, then simmer for 5 minutes or until the liquid thickens into a sauce.1 bag Skillet Meal Seasoning*, ½ cup gluten-free low sodium chicken broth, ½ cup whipping cream or heavy cream + 1 tablespoon [1]
Transfer the mixture into four oven-safe ramekins.
- Fill each ramekin equally almost to the top.
- Cut puff pastry into four squares, placing one square on each ramekin. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the puff pastry for venting. [2]1 gluten-free puff pastry sheet
- Whisk together the egg yolk and the remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Brush the puff pastry with the yolk mixture.½ cup whipping cream or heavy cream + 1 tablespoon [1], 1 egg yolk
- Place ramekins on a sturdy sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp around the edges. Serve immediately.
Kitchen Notes
Make Them In Advance
This recipe works great for meal prepping and freezing in advance!
If you know you’ll be freezing portions for later, instead of filling ramekins, fill small individual portion foil pie tins to about 1/2-inch from the top. Cut puff pastry into four squares, placing one square on each portion and tucking corners toward the center. To freeze, wrap the cooled and filled pie tins tightly with aluminum foil. Place them on a sheet pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours or up to a day until they freeze, then; place the frozen pot pies into zipper bags removing as much air as possible. The pot pies will freeze beautifully for 2-3 months.
To bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 400˚F, and bake for 20-25 minutes with the foil on top. Remove the foil, brush with egg yolk and cream mixture, and bake for another 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly golden brown and crispy around the edges.Nutrition
Recipe Card with Nutrition powered by WP Recipe Maker
(Nutritional values are an approximation. Actual nutritional values may vary due to preparation techniques, variations related to suppliers, regional and seasonal differences, or rounding.)
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RECIPE TAGS:
- Baked, Budget-Friendly Recipes, Casserole Recipes, Chicken, Chicken & Turkey Dinner Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, Dairy, East Coast Recipes, Fall Main Dish Recipes, Freezer Friendly, Freezer Meal Recipes, Hearty Meal Recipes, Main Dish Recipes, Main Dish Recipes for One or Two, Main Dishes for Kids, Make Ahead Recipes, Meal Prep Recipes, Meat & Poultry, Midwest Recipes, Mushrooms, Onions, Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes, Turkey, Vegetables, Winter Main Dish Recipes
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