Every Brazilian family has their version of empadão de frango—and chances are, it’s been a go-to for generations. It’s the kind of comfort food that brings everyone together: a buttery, tender crust that melts in your mouth, a creamy and flavorful chicken filling, and that hidden layer of cream cheese (or requeijão) that always steals the show.
This recipe it’s the kind of pie that makes you sneak back into the kitchen for ‘just one more slice. It checks all the cozy dinner boxes and then some—trust me, you’re gonna love it. And, when you do love it, don’t forget to come back and check out my Coxinhas recipe! It is to die for!
If you’ve been loving the nostalgic Brazilian dishes I’ve shared — like my Corn Flour Cake with Guava, the cozy Chicken Stroganoff, or the best Coxinhas you ever had — you’re going to fall hard for this one too. Empadão de frango is that flaky, golden chicken pot pie we all grew up with, and this version has all the comfort with a few easy updates.
🛒 Easy Ingredient Overview (with Substitutions)
Crust:
- Butter → can be salted or unsalted, but, must be cold.
- All-purpose flour
- Egg
- Salt
Filling:
- Chicken breast → thighs work too (just remove bones/skin)
- Onion & garlic
- Paprika → or Brazilian colorau, if you have it
- Tomato sauce→ I used tomato passata. So basically its a tomato sauce with no seasoning. You can swap it for your favorite tomato sauce, but it will alter the taste of your filling. So make sure it is a taste that you like.
- Heavy cream → or whipping cream, table cream or brazilian creme de leite).You can also swap for homemade béchamel.
- Salt, pepper, herbs → Here I added parsley and green onion. Personally I think I prefer it with just parsley.
Cheese Layer:
- Requeijão (Brazilian creamy cheese) → hard to find? No worries!
- Use cream cheese instead — I use my stan mixer to beat it with 6–8 tbsp of milk until smooth and spreadable (see full note in recipe). I add one tablespoon at a time until I am happy with the consistency.
👀 Quick Recipe Summary (Step-by-Step)
- Cook and shred chicken
- Boil or pressure cook until tender, then shred.
- Make the filling
- Sauté garlic and onion, mix in chicken, paprika, tomato sauce, and cream. Season and stir in herbs.
- Make the dough
- Mix flour, salt, and cold butter with fingers. Add egg and mix until it forms a dough. Chill for 30 mins.
- Assemble the pie
- Roll out 2/3 of dough and line a 9″ springform pan.
- Add half the chicken, spread softened cream cheese or requeijão, top with remaining chicken.
- Cover with remaining dough and seal.
- Bake
- Brush with egg yolk and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour, or until golden.
🍽 How to Serve
Serve it warm, straight from the oven—that’s when it’s at its absolute best. Honestly, this pie is a meal all on its own, and I usually don’t bother adding anything else. But if you’d like to balance it out, a simple green salad on the side works perfectly.
❄️ How to Store
Let the pot pie cool completely before covering and refrigerating. It keeps well for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover with foil and pop it in a low oven until warmed through (or use the microwave for individual slices).
📝Tips and Tricks
🧀 About the Cheese
This pie is traditionally made with requeijão, a creamy Brazilian cheese.
Can’t find it? No problem — cream cheese works beautifully as a substitute. Just make sure it’s spreadable, not watery.
👉 How to Make Cream Cheese Spreadable:
- Beat 400g of cream cheese in a stand mixer.
- Slowly add 6–8 tablespoons of milk, one at a time, until smooth.
- It should be creamy enough to spread easily, but still hold its shape — not runny.
- Adjust consistency to your liking!
🥧 Pan Size Matters!
- This recipe was developed for a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
- If you’re using a 10-inch (25 cm) pan, like I did this time, the pie will still bake up beautifully — but you might not have quite enough dough to fully cover the top edges.
- It’ll taste just as good, but it may not look quite as tidy, and it’s trickier to eyeball dough quantities.
❗ Dough Tip
- Don’t overwork the dough!
- The less you knead, the flakier and more melt-in-your-mouth the crust will be.
💡 Filling Flexibility
- Feel free to make it your own:
- Add olives, diced tomatoes, corn, or your favorite herbs and spices.
- The base is super forgiving!
Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie (Empadão de Frango)
Equipment
- 9 or 10 inch spring form pan Please see notes!!!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 300 g unsalted butter cold and cubed (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour about 450g
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
- 900 g skinless, boneless chicken breast 2 lbs
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 200g whipping cream or heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley to taste
- 400 g 14 oz spreadable cream cheese (see notes below!) or requeijão
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Start with the filling so it has time to cool while you prep the dough.
- Cook the chicken in a pressure cooker or regular pot with water until tender or use a pressure cooker. Shred and set aside. (I cooked mine for 10 minutes under high pressure and then allowed for a natural pressure release before shredding).900 g skinless, boneless chicken breast
- In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onion cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 min.drizzle of olive oil, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Stir in the shredded chicken, paprika, and tomato sauce. Mix well.1/2 cup tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons paprika
- Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the fresh herbs and let cool completely.200g whipping cream, Chopped parsley , Salt and black pepper to taste
Make the crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and mix with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.300 g unsalted butter, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the egg and gently mix until it comes together — don’t overwork it!1 large egg
- Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Use about 2/3 of the dough to line the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll it out between two sheets of plastic or parchment to avoid sticking.
- Add half of the chicken filling, then spread a generous layer of spreadable cream cheese (see note!) or requeijão, and finish with the rest of the filling.400 g 14 oz spreadable cream cheese (see notes below!)
- Roll out the remaining dough and cover the top. Trim and press the edges to seal. Decorate with scraps if you’d like!
- Brush with a beaten egg yolk and bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown.1 egg yolk
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is adapted from Flamboesa.com.br to make it easier to prepare here in Canada. I swapped the traditional requeijão for cream cheese, which worked beautifully while maintaining the creamy, comforting filling we all love!
Don’t Forget!
For more delicious recipes and behind-the-scenes kitchen moments, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest! You’ll find easy family meals, tips, and all the cozy vibes you need to get cooking. Can’t wait to see you there!
Oh! and I’d love to hear from you, so don’t forget to drop a comment and let me know what you think of the recipe. 🙂
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