Emilie Meyer
Chicken pot pie is a comforting, all-in-one meal that is easier to make than you might think. While store-bought versions are convenient, making a chicken pot pie from scratch allows you to use fresh ingredients and avoid preservatives. You can even use up leftover chicken to create a creamy, buttery filling with vegetables and a flaky, homemade or store-bought pie crust. But should you cook it in the cupboard? Absolutely not. To cook a chicken pot pie, you need to bake it in the oven.
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What You'll Learn
Chicken pot pie ingredients
Chicken pot pie is a comforting, all-in-one meal with protein and veggies. It is easy to make from scratch, with a homemade pie crust and creamy chicken and vegetable filling.
For the filling, you will need cooked chicken, which can be prepared in advance. You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook chicken breasts or a whole cut-up fryer. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to a pot with water, cooking until it is barely cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool before chopping it into bite-sized pieces.
Next, sauté the vegetables. This typically includes onions, celery, and carrots, but you can also add garlic, leeks, and frozen peas. Cook the vegetables in butter until they are soft and translucent. Then, add flour, salt, pepper, bouillon paste, celery seed, and garlic powder. Slowly stir in the reserved water and milk, or chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. You can also add a splash of white wine, lemon zest, and spices like turmeric, thyme, and cayenne for extra flavour.
Finally, assemble the pie. Pour the filling into a pie dish with a bottom crust. Cover with a top crust, seal the edges, and cut away any excess dough. Make several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the dough with an egg wash to give it a nice sheen.
Bake the pie in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, which usually takes around 30 minutes. You can also freeze the chicken pot pie before or after baking and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
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Preparing the filling
Next, you'll cook the vegetables. This typically includes onions, celery, and carrots, but you can also add peas, garlic, or any other vegetables you like. Melt some butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Cook them until they start to soften, which should take around 3 to 4 minutes. You can also add some flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and other seasonings to the vegetables and cook for another minute to remove the raw flour taste.
Now, it's time to add the liquids. Pour in some chicken broth (and wine, if you like), followed by milk or cream. You can adjust the amount of milk or cream based on how rich and thick you want the sauce to be. Stir everything together and let it cook until it thickens.
Finally, add the cooked chicken back to the saucepan and stir it into the vegetable and sauce mixture. Your filling is now ready to be spooned into your pie crust!
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Preparing the pie crust
Ingredients:
For a homemade pie crust, you will need all-purpose flour, sugar (optional), salt, unsalted butter, and ice-cold water. The butter should be cold and straight from the refrigerator to ensure it remains chilled during preparation. You can also use a combination of butter and shortening for improved flakiness and to help the crust hold its shape.
Mixing the Dough:
Start by whisking together the dry ingredients, including the flour, sugar (if using), and salt, in a mixing bowl. Next, add the diced cold butter and lightly toss it with the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or a food processor to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with pea-sized butter crumbles. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as this can lead to a tough and dense crust due to excess gluten formation.
Adding Water:
Add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, to the mixture and stir it in with a firm spatula. Continue adding water until you see large clumps of dough forming. Stop adding water at this point to avoid making the dough too wet. The dough should have a nice crumbly texture with visible butter crumbles.
Chilling the Dough:
Once your dough is mixed, it is important to chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will help the dough firm up and become easier to roll out. You can also freeze the dough for up to three months if you want to prepare it in advance.
Rolling and Shaping the Crust:
Before rolling out the dough, let it rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes to make it pliable. Dust your work surface with flour and roll the dough into a circle larger than your pie dish. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and carefully transfer it to the pie dish. Gently press the dough down to line the dish, and tuck the excess dough underneath itself to create a thick, double-layered edge.
If you want a decorative edge, you can create a fluted rim by pressing the dough between your thumb and index finger along the edge. Additionally, if your pie recipe requires a top crust, repeat the rolling process and set it aside until you are ready to assemble the pie.
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Baking the pie
Before baking, it is important to prepare the pie properly. The pie dish should be sprayed with cooking spray or lined with aluminium foil to prevent sticking and even baking. The pie crust should be softened at room temperature for about 15 minutes and then pressed firmly into the pie dish. The filling, which typically consists of cooked chicken, vegetables, and a creamy sauce, is then spooned into the bottom crust. The top crust is then placed over the filling, and the edges are sealed and fluted or crimped.
To ensure a golden, glistening sheen on the crust, an egg wash is often applied before baking. The egg wash is made by whisking together an egg and a tablespoon of milk. It is then brushed onto the top crust and edges using a pastry brush. Additionally, slits or holes are made in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
During the baking process, it is important to monitor the colour of the crust. If it starts to become too brown, it can be covered loosely with a piece of foil. This technique can be used from the beginning of the baking process or only during the last portion, depending on the recipe and personal preference.
Once the baking time is complete, the pie should be removed from the oven and allowed to cool before serving. The filling will be very hot, so caution should be exercised. The pie can be served by itself or with a side dish of choice.
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Storing the pie
Chicken pot pie can be stored in the fridge or freezer, either before or after baking. If you've already baked your pie, allow it to cool completely before storing it. Wrap the cooled pie tightly in aluminium foil and refrigerate for up to five days. You can also freeze the baked pie for up to three months.
If you want to store your pie before baking, assemble the pie and wrap it tightly in foil. Freeze it for up to three months and bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
Alternatively, you can prepare the filling and the pie crust separately and store them in the fridge. You can also assemble the whole pie a few hours before baking and keep it in the fridge. If you're using a homemade pie crust, it needs to chill for at least two hours before rolling out, so it's a good idea to make it in advance.
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Frequently asked questions
No, you should not cook a pot pie in the cupboard. It needs to be cooked in an oven.
Bake the pot pie at 425°F (218°C) for 25 to 35 minutes.
Your pot pie is cooked when the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
