Is there anything better on a chilly night than the stick-to-your-ribs, creamy deliciousness of chicken pot pie? Ummm… no. This pot pie is great for a weeknight family dinner or make a couple to serve for company (Easter’s right around the corner).
I originally found this recipe on All Recipes and have been tweaking it over the years to make it my own. I still make adjustments on the fly – toss in some extra spices or potato here or there – the but the heart of the recipe is now just about perfect.
First, cut up the chicken into bite sized cubes. The perfect pot pie shouldn’t need a knife to eat. You’ll need about 4 cups. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken from a roast chicken dinner or rotisserie. I personally prefer a mix of white and dark meat for flavor, but that’s your call. Set the chicken aside.
In a deep dish pie plate, bake the bottom pie crust as directed on the package. Be sure to poke it with a fork or use a pie chain to keep it from bubbling up. You don’t want to give up 1 inch of space for pot pie deliciousness.
In a medium-sized pan (or skillet) melt the butter with the onion (powder in my case), slowly whisk in the flour and remaining spices. It will get a bit crumbly in the pan, but that’s okay. Just make sure it’s all mixed in.
Pour in the broth and milk, little by little, whisking until smooth after each addition. The mixture will turn paste-like at first, then to the consistency of mashed potatoes, then it will get silky smooth.
Once smooth simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes until it reaches the thickness you like. I’ve tried just about every level of thickness and I personally prefer it the consistency of a chowder, but it’s all about personal taste.
While the sauce simmers, I recommend you brush a little egg white on the bottom of the crust. Done just before filling this can help the crust from getting soggy.
Fill the bottom crust with a layer of chicken, then veggies, then more chicken. You can easily rebalance this if you prefer more veggies or want to add a couple of potatoes or turnips.
Pour the sauce into the pie plate over the chicken and veggies.
Fill the dish almost to the top. You may have some leftover sauce (which is great on fried or oven-fried chicken). If the sauce is thicker you may have to jiggle the pie plate a little to get it to work its way down to the bottom.
Cover with pie crust and trim the excess off the edge. Make a few slices in the center for heat to escape, and brush with egg white or milk. Egg white will give the crust a nice shine, but milk will help it brown better.
Bake at 350º for 45 minutes, then let cool. Serve piping hot.
Yum!
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Bonus Recipe! Use the excess pie crust dough to make Mini Berry Pies!
