Chicken Pot Pie! Hey, remember that pie crust I wrote about last week? Have you experimented yet? Made a scrumptious apple pie, maybe a pumpkin pie for Halloween, or perhaps a batch of pie crust cookies? Personally, I’ve made two out of those three in the last week – I’ve been on a pastry run. But I’m not ready to let it go just yet, because pie! So guess what? Pie is what’s for dinner, too.
Recently, I made a chicken pot pie to take to some house-bound friends, and while I was at it, made an extra one for us. My fiancé’s eyes lit up and I think he even gasped (he’s a gasper). “I used to love chicken pot pie,” he sighed, and launched into a dreamy account of the times his mom, a killer cook who regularly dished up Midwestern grub for her three hungry boys, would take a night off and serve them frozen chicken pot pies, the individually-sized ones that she bought six for a dollar. They were a rare treat and the boys would eat three or four each, he said (holy hungry farmhand children, Batman).
Chicken pot pie has been around since the 16th century (remember the nursery rhyme, “four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie”?), and it’s remained a suppertime staple through the ages for a reason. It’s hearty yet delicate, creamy and flaky, and of course – say it with me – it’s PIE. Hello!
This dish is also actually really simple to make. Aside from the pastry, it’s a one-pot preparation. A base of mirepoix (a fancy word for the humble trio of diced onion, carrot, and celery) is combined with diced or shredded chicken and you make the sauce in the same pot. Straightforward, basic, delicious.
This version includes tiny squares of potato – which serve double duty by both contributing a satisfying bulk and infusing the thyme-scented gravy with an even velvety-ier texture – and bright pops of color in the form of sweet green peas. Shortcuts abound here: you can use leftover chicken or even rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and frozen peas straight from the bag. Also, there’s no need to cook the potato in advance, as some recipes might have you do. If they’re diced small enough, they’ll cook perfectly when added to the mirepoix (that was a trick born of sheer laziness on my part, and I was so thrilled when it worked).
I sometimes make it with a double crust (as in the photos here), but more often than not I’ll just top the filling with a single crust and dish it up casserole-style. If you want to make individuals servings, you can also make mini versions in ramekins (probably five or six 4-oz ramekins for this recipe).
A few notes on ingredients:
1) Homemade chicken stock really makes a difference here. Commercial stocks are often doctored up with things that never appear in homemade stock recipes, like sugar, preservatives, and mysterious “natural flavoring” (flavor of what?). Most of them taste either terribly bland or have off flavors. Making your own chicken stock is not hard – it just takes time – and has a rich, chicken-y depth that amps up the flavor of soups, rice, sauces, and stews enormously.
2) Though you can use any type of potato, I recommend the waxier Yukon gold or red potatoes, which hold their shape better and don’t break down into mushiness in the sauce.
3) The sauce is thickened with flour, and I highly recommend using Wondra flour here. Wondra is the stuff you may have seen in the retro-looking blue can in the baking aisle, and is essentially a low-protein flour that’s been cooked and ground into a powder-like consistency. It dissolves easily in liquid, so no lumps, and eliminates the risk of any ‘raw flour’ taste in your sauce. You can use regular all-purpose flour as well; just be sure to cook it for a couple extra minutes.
happy fiancé /former farmhand
Just like mirepoix is the fancy name for cooked veggies, the fancy way to say chicken pot pie is “tarte au poulet” – and you should feel free to call it that if you’re serving it at a dinner party. Even if you and I know that it only took you half an hour to throw it together. Bon appetit!
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Chicken Pot Pie
- Prep Time: 15 mins*
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 6 generous servings 1x
- Category: entrees
Description
Get your veggies and meat all in one dish with this savory, velvety chicken pot pie.
Ingredients
1 recipe World’s Best Pie Crust, or other pie crust of your choice
2 TB olive oil
1 cup (4.5 oz) diced carrots (about 3 medium)
1 cup (4 oz) diced celery (about 3 medium stalks)
1 cup (5 oz) white or yellow onion, diced (one small-ish onion)
1/2 cup Yukon gold or red potato, diced (one medium potato)
2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
1/4 cup flour (Wondra preferred)
2 cups chicken broth (homemade is best!)
1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (dried ok in a pinch)
Instructions
Heat oven to 400°. If making a double-crust pie, prep a pie dish with pastry on the bottom. If using only a top crust, butter the bottom of your pie dish, casserole dish, or ramekins. Set aside.
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and potato and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften but not brown. Add diced chicken and sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Stir to combine and, if using all-purpose flour, cook for 2-3 minutes more.
Gently stir in chicken broth, turn the heat up to medium, and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in seasonings and half and half.
Return to low heat and cook gently about five more minutes, until the mixture is heated throughout and nicely thickened but still pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Pour mixture into prepared dish(es) and top with pastry, crimping edges to make it pretty. Slice small holes in top of crust to allow steam to escape.
(If you want to freeze your pie at this point for baking later, first bring it to room temperature, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil before placing in freezer. Defrost for about 30 minutes prior to baking.)
Place your dish(es) on a foil-rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake at 400° for 30-40 minutes (may be less for individual ramekins; start checking for browning at 25 mins). Crust should be golden brown and filling bubbly. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
*prep time does not include making pie crust or cooking chicken
Great post! Handsome man.