For A Quick And Easy Chicken Pot Pie Filling, Grab These 3 Canned Ingredients

Just as hot summer rays demand dining al fresco at outdoor barbecues and cookouts, crisp autumn evenings call for warm, cozy fare enjoyed by the fire — or, at least, with your favorite fireplace ASMR video crackling away. While it makes sense to save your delicious but somewhat labor-intensive chicken, mushroom, and winter squash pot pie recipe for the holidays and special occasions, there's a very simple low-effort hack that can help you produce a delicious and nourishing pot pie even on the busiest night of your week.

The secret is to keep your pantry stocked with a few seriously underrated canned ingredients, including canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, and mixed vegetables. That's all you need for a standard pot pie filling. If you're not the biggest fan of canned veggies, a bag of your favorite frozen variety will do. To top off the dish, you'll also want to have everyone's favorite poppable cardboard canister of premade biscuit dough in your fridge. The best part about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are shelf-stable, at least all of the canned ones, meaning you can keep a bunch of everything on hand for when the air feels particularly frosty or everyone's had a bad day and needs a comforting pick-me-up.

Some people call this recipe "dump" pot pie, because that's literally what you do — dump everything into your favorite standard casserole dish, top it with the canned biscuits, and bake until everything is hot, bubbly, and golden. Before baking, though, feel free to customize the filling with your favorite seasonings, like black pepper, paprika, or even a little cayenne pepper for a touch of heat.

Not only does cream of chicken soup make a delicious and easy gravy for your mashed potatoes, it also adds plenty of moisture and velvety texture to this easy chicken pot pie, so there's no need to splash in any additional broth or water. That also means it's crucial to drain your canned chicken and vegetables before adding them to your casserole dish. If you're using frozen mixed vegetables, thaw and pat them dry ahead of time to ensure they don't let off too much water during the baking process.

Once you understand how and why convenience recipes like this one work, it's fairly easy to mix and match equivalent ingredients to create endless variations and experiment with new flavors, preventing your palate from getting bored. For instance, you can swap the cream of chicken soup for any soup with a similar texture, such as cream of mushroom, celery, or onion. Cheddar cheese or broccoli cheddar soup can completely transform the dish from a pot pie to more of a casserole if you're in the mood for something different but similarly comforting — especially if you top everything with premade mashed potatoes instead of canned biscuits.

It's also pretty easy to elevate this dish with fresh ingredients when you have a little more time on your hands. Shredded rotisserie chicken works well in place of canned. Or you can swap in other proteins, like diced ham, crumbled sausage, or cubed beef, or thaw and slice up some herb-infused frozen meatballs. Pretty much anything that will hit the spot will work for this quick and easy pot pie.