Cheap-Cheap Chicken Pie – One Chicken Breast and Vegetable Pie
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Stretch small amounts of meat to feed many with this one-breast chicken and vegetable pie. Delicious, healthy and frugal.

Need to strrrrretccchhh a little meat to feed many?
This one-breast chicken and vegetable pie is just the thing.
It’s also a good way to use up the vegetable bits and bobs you have in the crisper. While I listed specific vegetables in the recipe, you can really use whatever veggies you have on hand.
Great additions include peas, corn, carrot, mushrooms, capsicum, green beans, corn, peas, pumpkin, broccoli, and cabbage – not necessarily all at once.
Frozen mixed vegetables are a great alternative to fresh vegetables for a quick and easy…and cheap! alternative to fresh.
While this recipe is a one-breast chicken recipe, you can use thigh meat or even leftover roast chicken – another great way to stretch meat, use up leftovers, and you can skip the step where you brown the chicken!
Chicken Pie Ingredients
This is a flexible recipe, so you can mix and match ingredients. I make this chicken pie all the time and no two versions are ever the same.
Ingredients
chicken breast, thigh, or leftover roast chook
onion or leek
garlic
dried thyme or herb of choice
mustard (optional)
mixed vegetables, chopped
plain flour
butter
chicken or vegetable stock
cream or milk (optional)
pastry (frozen puff, filo, or even mash potato instead)
salt and pepper to taste
Making Chicken Pie
Step 1: Lightly steam or boil the chopped veggies until almost, but not quite cooked through.
Step 2: In a hot frying pan with a little oil, brown the chopped chicken and then set aside on a plate. If you’re using leftover cooked chicken, you can skip this step.
Step 3: In the same pan, cook the chopped onion for a few minutes or until translucent. Add the onion and thyme and cook for a few seconds.
Step 4: Add the butter and flour and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds.
Step 5: Slowly add the stock, stirring to get the lumps out. Once you have a smooth sauce of pie like consistency, taste and season. At this point, you can add a touch of mustard if you like for extra flavour or a touch of cream if you like your sauce creamy – totally up to you, your preferences, and what you have on hand!
Step 6: Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine.
Step 7: Top the pie with some defrosted puff pastry or a few sheets of filo pastry, roughly scrunched up for a decorative, flaky top. Give the filo a little spritz of oil. Alternatively, top with store-bought or homemade shortcrust pastry. Cut a couple of slits in the top to let the steam escape.
Another option, if you have some spuds or sweet potato that need using up, or you’re avoiding pastry, top your pie with mash for a delicious cottage-style pie.
Step 8: Cook in the oven at 180°C for around 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.
Put the pie dish on a baking tray so if the filling bubbles over, the tray will catch the drips, saving you from cleaning the oven.
Serving Suggestions
Because it’s full of veg, this pie can be eaten on it’s own, if you’re not too hungry. We regularly eat it as a light meal divided by four (two adults and two teens).
If you would like a more substantial meal, then this can be served with a green salad, a side of vegetables, some crusty bread or some garlic bread (or salad and bread!).
Leftovers and Reheating
Store leftover pie in the fridge for up to three days.
Pie can be reheated gently in the oven at 160°C until heated through to over 60°C. The pie can also be reheated in the microwave.
Not going to lie, I’ve also just put the leftovers in a fry pan for an easy lunch.
Cheap-Cheap One-Breast Chicken Pie
Stretch on chicken breast to feed a family of four in this delicious chicken and vegetable pie. You can put whatever vegetables you have in the kitchen in it!
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1-2 carrot, diced
- 1-2 zucchini, diced
- a handful of button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. plain flour
- 3/4 cup stock or milk
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet of puff pastry or 4 sheets of filo pastry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan forced). Grease a pie dish or baking dish.
- Sauté chicken over medium heat in a little olive oil until browned and cooked through. Set aside.
- Sauté onion in a little oil until it starts to soften. Add the carrot and cook for a further few minutes, add the zucchini and cook another few minutes (alternatively, you can gently boil or steam the vegetables before hand until almost cooked) Finally, add the mushrooms and fry. Add the garlic and thyme and stirring well, cook until the mushrooms are cooked and the vegetables are tender. Remove from pan.
- Turn the heat down to low and melt the butter in the pan. Add the flour and stir for a minute or two to incorporate into butter and cook off some of the raw flour taste. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring well, to make a white sauce. You may not need to add all of the liquid, just enough for pie consistency. Bring to the boil and then simmer stirring to thicken.
- Flavour the sauce with the mustard. Return the chicken and vegetable mixture to the pan and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thin, let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
- Pour pie filling into a greased pie dish.
- Top with puff pastry or if using filo, lightly scrunch the pastry and place over the chicken mixture. Brush with a little oil and Bake for 30-45 minutes until the pastry is golden.
- Serve with an accompaniment like salad, bread or mash and veggies.
Notes
- For a creamier version or to use up extra cream, substitute part stock or milk with cream.
- For a different flavour, add a splash of wine instead of the mustard.
- Try oregano, basil or tarragon instead of the thyme or use fresh herbs for an even better flavour.
- Add a little bacon for a flavour variation. Exchange the onion for leek. Use whatever veggies are in the crisper. Beans, cabbage, corn, capsicum, peas - these are all great additions.
- You can top with a sheet of shortcrust or puff pastry instead of filo if prefered.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 359mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 16g
Nutritional information is calculated automatically using the Nutritionix database. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, serving size or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
I just made this pie today with some ready to roll shortcrust pastry that needed using up and it was so tasty. I love how easy it is and that the veg content is high. I used oregano and added some leeks that were lurking in the fridge and it was loved by all. Thanks!