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Baked ghost chicken pot pie with golden pie crust ghosts on top in a glass pie plate

Ghost Chicken Pot Pie

A classic, creamy homemade chicken pot pie topped with cookie cutter ghosts for an easy, kid-approved Halloween dinner.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Filling
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast diced into small pieces
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery
  • 1 cup frozen peas
Chicken Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
Sauce
  • 1/3 cup butter plus about 1 tablespoon butter or oil for browning the chicken
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 2/3 cup milk
Crust
  • 2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts
  • 1 egg beaten, for brushing the ghosts

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Season the chicken. Place the diced chicken in a bowl and toss with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme.
  3. Brown the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon butter or oil and the seasoned chicken. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. It does not need to be cooked through yet. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  4. Cook the vegetables. In the same skillet, melt the ⅓ cup butter. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and the vegetables start to soften.
  5. Make the roux. Stir in the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon thyme. Cook and stir for about 1 minute.
  6. Make the sauce. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the milk. Keep stirring until smooth.
  7. Thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and creamy.
  8. Add the chicken and peas. Stir the browned chicken and frozen peas into the sauce just until combined and the peas are warmed through.
  9. Assemble the pie. Place one pie crust into a 9-inch glass pie plate (or Target). Pour in the filling and spread it evenly. Fold or crimp the edge of the bottom crust.
  10. Cut out the ghosts. Unroll the second pie crust and cut out as many ghosts as you can with a ghost cookie cutter (or Target). Use a straw to punch out two little eye holes in each ghost. Arrange them on top of the filling, overlapping slightly. The gaps between the ghosts (and the eye holes!) let steam escape, so no slits needed!
  11. Brush the ghosts. Lightly brush the tops of the ghosts with the beaten egg so they bake up shiny and golden. No pastry brush needed: the back of a spoon or clean fingers work perfectly.
  12. Bake. Bake at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the ghosts are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. If the edges get too brown, loosely cover them with foil.
  13. Rest before serving. Let the pot pie cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Pie crust ghosts are thinner than a full top crust, so start checking at 25 minutes. Leftover dough scraps can be re-rolled once for a few extra ghosts.