Homemade chicken pot pie is one of the ultimate comfort foods, but making it from scratch can take time. Pressure canning a chicken pot pie base gives you a convenient pantry meal that can be turned into a rich, creamy pot pie whenever you need an easy dinner.

The safest approach is to pressure can the chicken, vegetables, and broth as an unthickened soup-style base. When you're ready to serve it, open a jar, heat the mixture, thicken it with Cook-Type Clear Jel, add cream or milk if desired, and finish it with pie crust, biscuits, or puff pastry.

This gives you the convenience of a homemade meal in a jar while allowing you to control the final thickness and creaminess.

Important Home-Canning Safety Note

Chicken and vegetables are low-acid foods and must be processed in a pressure canner.

Do not add Clear Jel, cornstarch, flour, milk, cream, half-and-half, butter, noodles, rice, or other thickening ingredients to this mixture before pressure canning.

For home-canned soups, the National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends canning the mixture unthickened. Thickening ingredients can change how heat moves through the food during processing, potentially resulting in underprocessing.

Regular Cook-Type Clear Jel is approved for certain specifically tested canned fruit pie-filling recipes, but that does not mean it should automatically be added to soups, meat dishes, or other pressure-canned recipes.

For this chicken pot pie recipe, add the Clear Jel after opening the jar.

Pressure-Canned Chicken Pot Pie Base

Ingredients

• 10 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded into bite-size pieces

• 5 cups carrots, peeled and diced

• 4 cups green peas

• 2 cups celery, diced

• 2 cups onion, diced

• Chicken broth, enough to cover the ingredients

• Salt, optional

• Black pepper, optional

• Garlic powder, optional

• Celery seed, optional

• Other dried seasonings, as desired

Do Not Add Before Canning

Do not add any of the following ingredients to the jars before pressure canning:

• Cook-Type Clear Jel

• Instant Clear Jel

• Cornstarch

• Flour

• Milk

• Heavy cream

• Half-and-half

• Butter

• Pasta

• Rice

• Noodles

• Pie crust

These ingredients can be added later when you prepare the finished chicken pot pie.

Equipment Needed

• Pressure canner

• Pint or quart canning jars

• New canning lids

• Jar rings

• Large stockpot

• Ladle

• Canning funnel

• Jar lifter

• Bubble remover or nonmetallic utensil

Step 1: Prepare the Chicken

Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water or broth.

Cook until the chicken is tender and completely cooked.

Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and allow it to cool enough to handle.

Remove any bones and skin, then chop or shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

You can reserve the cooking liquid and use it as part of the chicken broth in the recipe.

Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables

Wash and prepare the carrots, celery, onions, and peas.

Peel and dice the carrots.

Dice the celery and onions into relatively uniform pieces.

If using frozen peas, keep them frozen until you're ready to combine the ingredients.

Prepare each vegetable using the hot-pack preparation appropriate for that vegetable.

Uniform pieces help the ingredients heat more evenly and make the finished filling easier to use later.

Step 3: Combine the Chicken, Vegetables, and Broth

Place the prepared chicken and vegetables into a large stockpot.

Add enough chicken broth to cover the ingredients.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Boil for 5 minutes.

Add salt and dry seasonings to taste, if desired.

The mixture should resemble a chicken-and-vegetable soup at this stage.

Do not thicken it.

Step 4: Fill the Jars

Using hot, clean canning jars, fill each jar halfway with the solid chicken-and-vegetable mixture.

Do not tightly pack the jars with solids.

Add hot broth to cover the ingredients, leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Remove trapped air bubbles.

Recheck the headspace and add more hot broth if necessary.

Wipe the jar rims clean.

Apply lids and rings according to the lid manufacturer's instructions.

Step 5: Pressure Can the Chicken Pot Pie Base

Process the jars in a pressure canner.

Processing Times

Pint Jars

Process for 60 minutes.

Quart Jars

Process for 75 minutes.

These processing times come from the National Center for Home Food Preservation procedure for home-canned soups.

Dial-Gauge Pressure Canner

Use the following pressure according to your altitude:

• 0–2,000 feet: 11 PSI

• 2,001–4,000 feet: 12 PSI

• 4,001–6,000 feet: 13 PSI

• 6,001–8,000 feet: 14 PSI

Weighted-Gauge Pressure Canner

Use:

• 0–1,000 feet: 10 PSI

• Above 1,000 feet: 15 PSI

Always follow the operating instructions supplied with your specific pressure canner.

If you live above the altitude ranges listed here, consult current USDA or Extension pressure-canning guidance for your elevation.

After Processing

When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat.

Allow the canner pressure to return naturally to zero.

Do not force-cool the canner.

Wait according to your pressure canner manufacturer's instructions before opening the lid.

Remove the jars and place them upright on a towel or cooling rack.

Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

Check the seals before labeling and storing.

Any jar that does not seal properly should be refrigerated and used promptly or reprocessed according to current safe-canning guidance.

How to Turn One Quart Into Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Once you're ready to make dinner, the canned base can be transformed into a thick, creamy chicken pot pie filling in just a few minutes.

Ingredients for Approximately 1 Quart of Canned Base

• 1 quart canned chicken pot pie base

• ¼ cup Cook-Type Clear Jel

• ½ cup cold water or cold chicken broth

• Up to ½ cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream, optional

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• Butter, optional, for extra richness

Step 1: Heat the Canned Base

Open one quart of chicken pot pie base and pour the entire contents into a saucepan or Dutch oven.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Step 2: Make the Clear Jel Slurry

In a separate bowl, combine:

• ¼ cup Cook-Type Clear Jel

• ½ cup cold water or cold chicken broth

Whisk until completely smooth.

Using cold liquid helps disperse the starch and reduces the chance of lumps.

Step 3: Thicken the Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Slowly pour the Clear Jel mixture into the simmering chicken mixture while whisking or stirring continuously.

Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens.

Start with the full ¼ cup Clear Jel if you prefer a thick, classic chicken pot pie filling.

For a slightly thinner gravy, you can start with 3 tablespoons Cook-Type Clear Jel instead.

If the finished mixture becomes thicker than you prefer, add a small amount of chicken broth until you reach the desired consistency.

Step 4: Make the Filling Creamy

Once the filling has thickened, stir in up to:

½ cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream per quart

This step is optional but gives the filling a richer, creamier texture.

You can also stir in a tablespoon or two of butter at this stage if desired.

Taste the filling and adjust the salt, pepper, garlic powder, or other seasonings.

The chicken pot pie filling is now ready to use.

How to Make a Traditional Chicken Pot Pie

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Pour the prepared chicken pot pie filling into a pie dish.

You can use:

• Bottom and top pie crust

• Top crust only

• Puff pastry

• Biscuit topping

If using pie crust, place the filling into the prepared pie shell and add the top crust.

Crimp the edges.

Cut several small vents in the top crust so steam can escape.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbling.

Depending on the crust and pie dish, this will usually take approximately **30 to 40