Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Yum yum yum! Homemade Chicken Pot Pie is one of our all time favorite dishes… It is warm, savory, delightful and sure to please everyone. Pot pie is definitely a comfort food and extra wonderful to make on cold or rainy days. There is an excitement in the air when the family smells something heavenly cooking. They feel the love and care that goes into it and it makes the home that much more cozy and happy. I have been working on perfecting homemade crust and getting the seasoning and flavors just perfect for the pie, and now it is officially in the recipe book.. The laminated version haha!

Over the years I have tried different recipes and I often think, what would I like to add to this? I know the bones of what is in pot pie but I wanted to make it my own. Shredding the chicken makes for a much better texture and helps soak in the flavors. I used to chop chicken and I have realized shredding it is a game changer. I bake the chicken then shred it. You can use a rotisserie chicken if you’d like to and it is delicious. I love homemade crusts. If you want to use a premade crust Trader Joe’s has the best premade crust I have ever tasted! It is incredible.

I make an all butter crust and add a smidge of sugar for a sweeter taste. I find the sugar helps roll out the dough better. I love a crusty and flaky crust. Yum! I take the dough out of the refrigerator 5 minutes before rolling it out so I can soften and make it easier to roll out. You can add little leaf cutouts for extra charm.. I got these at Williams Sonoma but you can find similar HERE.

RECIPE

Ingredients (For filling)

4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely diced Onion
1 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup peas
3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
Splash of white wine (optional and yummy)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (no sticks)
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Dash garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste (I find 1 1/2 teaspoons salt is great, I omit pepper)
1/4 cup half and half or milk
1 whole egg
2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400˚.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Stir them around until the onions start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chicken or turkey and then sprinkle the flour over the top and stir it until it’s all combined with the turkey and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth (and wine if using) and stir it around and let it cook and thicken.
Once it starts to thicken add the turmeric, salt, pepper, and thyme.
Add the half-and-half or cream, then stir the mixture and let it bubble up and thicken, about 3 minutes. If it seems overly thick, splash in a little more broth. Turn off the heat.
Pour the filling into a 2-quart baking dish. Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface and lay it over the top of the dish. Press the dough so that the edges stick to the outside of the pan. Use a knife to cut little vents here and there in the surface of the dough. You can add little leaf cutouts for extra charm.. I got these at Williams Sonoma and they are not online right now, but you can find similar HERE.
Mix together the egg with 2 tablespoons water and brush it all over the surface of the crust. (You will have some egg wash left over.)
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly. To prevent the crust from getting too brown, you might want to cover it lightly with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking time. I leave mine off the whole time.
Serve up servings by the spoonful!

RECIPE FOR CRUST

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

1 Mix flour, sugar, and salt: Put flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl and use a hand-mixer to mix the ingredients together. Some like to use a food processor but I prefer using a hand mixer. It is less messy and I have more control over consistency.

2 Add butter and mix until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas.

3 Slowly add ice water: Sprinkle the mixture ice water (make sure there are no ice cubes in the water!) and pulse the mixer again adding a tablespoon at a time until the dough just barely begins to hold together.

You know that the mixture is ready if when you pinch some of the crumbly dough together with your fingers, it holds together. Be cautious with the amount of water you add, too much and the crust will be tough.

3 Make two dough disks: Carefully empty the crumbly dough mixture from the food processor on to a clean, dry, flat surface. Gather the mixture in a mound.

Divide the dough mixture into two even-sized mounds. Use your hands and knead each mound just enough to form each one into a disk. Do not over-knead! Kneading develops gluten which will toughen the dough, not something you want in a pastry crust. You should just knead enough so that the dough holds together without cracks.

If you started with cold butter you should be able to see small chunks of butter speckling the dough. This is a good thing. These small bits of butter will spread out into layers as the crust cooks so you have a flaky crust!

Sprinkle each disk with a little flour, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half hour or up to 2 days.

4 Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit for a few minutes: Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier.

5 Roll out dough, place in pie dish: Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking.

Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish. Sprinkle a little water all over the crust to prevent burning. Not too much water, maybe a tablespoon.

Bake the bottom crust separately at 400 degrees for 25 minutes so it does not get soggy when baking the pie.

6 Add filling to the pie.

7 Roll out second disk, place on top of filling: Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie.

Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together.

Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.