When I was a kid, Mother regularly bought Swanson Chicken and Beef Pot Pies. I liked them, probably because of the pastry outside and the gravy-like inside. About 3 years ago, I started making these delectable pies every couple of months for a dinnertime meal. Add a garden side salad and you’ll have a special occasion … always a good thing.
Of course, the key thing when making a remarkable pot pie is the pastry. Folks seem to be standoffish about tackling a pie crust, but it is really so easy. Plus, it doesn’t have to take much time to turn out a stellar pastry; about 10 minutes of your time.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to put together a video of the techniques I use to make a pie crust. It is finally done! In it, you will learn methods that I’ve not seen taught elsewhere, which make this a painless, simple process. It will take you step-by-step from flour in a bowl to a fluted pie crust ready for the oven. You can see the video after the recipe below.
For the filling of our pot pie, I put together a cream and broth sauce with vegetables and white meat chicken. Sometimes, I like to simply salt and pepper chicken filets, dredge them in flour and saute until done. Then, I’ll shred using two dinner forks and add it to the filling. Other times when I have less energy, I will use boiled chicken cut into dice. For this recipe, I’m suggesting the boiled method, but feel free to to add the flair of sauteed, shredded chicken if you like.
This is really good eating well worth the effort. Enjoy!
- For the Crust:
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Shortening or Butter (or a 50 - 50% Mixture of Both)
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 1 12" x 12" Sheet of Plastic Wrap
- For the Filling:
- ½ - ¾ Pound Chicken Breast (Bone-in is OK)
- 2 Tablespoons Coarsely Chopped Yellow Onion
- 1 4" Long Piece of Celery Stalk
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed and Peeled
- 1 3" Long Piece of Peeled Carrot or 2 Baby Carrots
- 1 Large Bay Leaf
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 5 Twists of the Black Pepper Grinder
- ¼ Cup Chopped Yellow Onion
- ¼ Cup Chopped Celery
- ½ Cup Carrots Cut into Disks
- 1 Clove Garlic, Peeled and Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3½ Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 1 Small Pinch of Dried Thyme
- 1 Cup Milk or Half and Half
- 1 Cup of Chicken Broth from the Boiled Chicken
- ½ Cup Frozen Green Peas (or ¼ Cup Green Peas and ¼ Cup Corn)
- Make the crust as shown in the video with the ingredients given above. After the dough has refrigerated for an hour, cut the ball into two pieces; 1, 60% of the whole, the other 40%. Roll out the larger piece and line the bottom and sides of an 8" casserole. Roll out the remaining piece and lay it in the casserole dough side down, but do not remove the plastic. Place the casserole in the refrigerator until needed.
- Place the chicken in a pot and fill with water to cover it. Add the next 7 ingredients to the pot. Bring the water to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook until done, about 30 minutes; it is done when a fork inserted in the middle of the breast twists relatively easily. Drain water reserving 1 cup of the broth , discard spent veggies and remove chicken to cutting board and allow to cool a bit. Cut into dice and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the butter and oil to a sauce pan and set the heat to medium high. Once the butter melts, add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir well to fully combine with the oil. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the balance of the ingredients and stir regularly until it begins to simmer; cook 2 minutes more. Correct for salt and pepper
- Pour the filling into the lined casserole (remove the top crust piece first). Lay the remaining dough over the filling. Pinch the two pieces of dough together around the outside edge and roll the pinched area into the inside of the casserole creating a raised edge; pinch again to shape. Cut 4, evenly spaced 3" long slits in the top of the pie crust to allow steam to escape.
- Place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven and bake until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly; about 50 minutes. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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