There is nothing more inviting than a savory chicken (or vegetable) pot pie on a cold fall/winter evening. My husband, Max, has been begging me to make him a classic Chicken Pot Pie. I normally stick to vegetarian dishes but I gave in and boy was it worth it! It was so delicious and much easier than I thought to make. I am now inspired make all sorts of veggie pot pies this winter!
This is one dish you will want to make again & again! So, grab a glass of red wine (this cab is my fav rn) throw on your slippers and get ready for a cozy evening in the kitchen with your family.
Now, you can make this dish extremely simple and go buy a pre-made pie crust BUT I highly recommend making it from scratch. My pie crust is easy to make with just a few ingredients and creates a delightful buttery & flaky crust that can’t be beat!
Yield: one 9” pie
Pie crust:
1 3/4 - 2 cups all purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
1/2-3/4 cup ice water
egg wash: 1 beaten egg + 1 Tbsp water
Filling:
2 medium chicken breasts, cubed (for vegetarian you can pass on the chicken and just add more veggies)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup english peas (or frozen peas)
1/2 cup sliced celery + 1 Tbsp chopped celery leaves
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tsp sea salt (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 cup all purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 cup unsweetend almond milk (or 2% milk)
1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
*For vegetarian you can also add in zucchini, squash, green beans, etc!)
For the crust:
Combine flour, sugar & salt into a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cut cold butter into cubes and add into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, fork or your hands cut butter into flour until the chunks of butter becomes about the size of a pea. Add in 1/4 cup of very cold water and gently combine. Continue to add water a little bit at a time just until the dough comes together. (You may not use the entire 3/4 cup of water) It should not be sticky, if you added to much water add a little more flour but try not to over work the dough! Form the dough into 2 equal size discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or over night.
For the filling:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
In a large skillet, combine butter & extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, celery leaves, onion, s&p, rosemary & thyme and sauté until the onions become translucent. Be sure to stir throughout to make sure the onions do not burn. Add cubed chicken and sauté for 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour and then stir in almond milk or milk until smooth and there are no lumps of flour. Add vegetable broth and stir to combine. Cook until the mixture becomes bubbly and thick. (it will not be super thick since we are using a lighter milk instead of heavy cream but it will still thicken) Next add the peas and chopped parsley to the filling. Stir, remove from heat and let cool.
To assemble:
While the filling is cooling, take your pie dough out of the fridge (after 30 mins or more of chill time). Remove the plastic wrap. On a lightly floured surface roll 1 disc into an approximate 12” circle about 1/8”- 1/4” thick. Transfer dough into a 9” pie pan. Press into the bottom of the pan and trim the extra dough hanging over the side of the pan with a knife. (I save my scraps, brush on egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar and bake them for a yummy treat!)
Once your filling has cooled (it can still be warm just not super hot) pour the filling into the pie. Roll out the 2nd disk of dough and carefully place over the pie. Trim the extra dough and seal by crimping the edges together. Cut 3-4 slits into the center of the pie with a sharp knife and brush top and edges of the pie with egg wash. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the crust is golden. (I like using a clear pie pan so I can see through to make sure the bottom is golden!) Let set for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. It’s so hard not to dig in right away but letting it set will make slicing it much easier!
I hope you enjoy this just as much as we did! It’s one of those cozy comfort meals that the whole family will love!
