Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie

Warren just got back from a long business trip in Europe (must be nice) and wanted comfort food... so we decided on Chicken Pot Pie... this picture, unfortunately, doesn't do it justice... it was really delicious.

This recipe for Chicken Pot Pie… I have made for years… well …the filling I've made for years…

The crust… is another story I have repeatedly tried different ones… the packaged pie crusts are not my favorite thing… I don’t mind them if I’m desperate and need something fast… and the filling has a potent taste all its own… but a delicate flavored filling is best with a homemade crust… well actually everything is best with a homemade crust…

The Crust

This time I tried the Barefoot Contessa’s pie crust recipe that she uses with her Chicken Pot Pie… I found her pie crust recipe difficult to work with… very wet and sticky… the recipe adds way too much water… I do recommend that you cut it back a bit … the actual recipe states ½ - 2/3 cup ice cold water…. I would start with a ¼ of a cup and add as needed. If you want to use her crust recipe click the link.

I will say this… the crust for all its difficulty came out flaky and buttery and tasted very, very good…. but I’m not convinced it was worth the effort. You can use any pie crust recipe of your choosing.

I made the pot pie in a 8x11 baking dish… you can use a deep dish pie plate or make individual Pot Pies if you like. I made a top and bottom crust because this was Warren’s request and he wanted a bottom crust.. after making it.. we decided a top crust only would be plenty of crust.

Ingredient Notes

I used canned potatoes … you can use fresh potatoes, but I would recommend that you use small red potatoes and that you par boil them for about 5 minutes before cutting into quarters and putting it into the filling. I listed potatoes as optional... I always include them... many people prefer not to.

*To cook my chicken.. I took 2 boneless chicken breasts… put them in a small pot with 1 carrot (cleaned and cut into chunks), 1 celery stalk (cleaned and cut into chunks), ½ medium onion (cut into chunks), a sprig of fresh parsley, some peppercorns and ¼ teaspoon salt… cover with chicken broth (about 2 ½ cups) and simmer until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Let chicken cool until you are able to handle it. Strain the broth into a large measuring cup…discard the vegetables or use them for something else…. add more broth to make 3 cups altogether.

This was not difficult (except for the Contessa pie crust part)…. You can make all or parts of it ahead… which can be a great help.








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Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

All you need:

An unbaked pie crust
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (*see notes above)
About 4-5 cups chicken broth
1 pkg. (12 ounce) of frozen mixed vegetables, cooked according to package directions
1 can (14 ½ ounces) whole potatoes, quartered (optional)
About 12 medium fresh mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
3 tablespoons butter
3 ½ tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon thyme
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 egg with 1 tablespoon water, beaten

All you need to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook the chicken according to the notes above.

When cool enough to handle, dice into tiny cubes. Set aside.

Cook the mixed vegetables according to package directions and set aside.

Clean and quarter the mushrooms and set aside.

Drain the can of potatoes and quarter them. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the flour to make a floury paste.

Add about half the chicken broth (about 1 1/2 cups) and whisk vigorously until all the lumps are gone.

Add the rest of the chicken broth (about 1 1/2 cups).

Continue to whisk until sauce begins to thicken.

Add the heavy cream. Continue to whisk until sauce is thick as heavy cream. DO NOT let sauce boil.

Remove from the heat and add the chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, mixed vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper.

Pour into a 8x11 baking dish or deep dish pie plate Do not over fill… you may have a serving spoon or so leftover.

Put the pie crust on top of the Pot Pie.

Using a pastry brush, brush the pie crust with the egg mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and pot pie is bubbly.