Growing up I used to think chicken pot pie nights were so special. Mainly because we got individual pot pies. You know the ones I’m talking about. In the frozen section. Cheap. Bake them in the oven. Eat them while they’re still hot and end up burning the roof of your mouth. Those pot pies.
Now, just like those frozen ones we are so familiar with, you can make this recipe with beef or all vegetables. Oh! As I was typing this out, I had the thought, what a great way to use up any leftover steak you might have by making a beef pot pie out of it! It’s also a great way to use up some vegetables that are about to turn, or do a freezer dump with your frozen vegetables. Anyway, back to the chicken pot pie at hand.
The start of the pot pie starts out pretty simple. Just dice one onion and one potato and saute in a skillet. If you have a cast iron skillet, you can make the whole dish in that one skillet.
While the onion and potato soften, dice up the chicken. You can use any combination of breast and thighs that you like. I normally just do breast meat. If you want to make this an even quicker and simpler dish, you could just shred some store-bought rotisserie chicken. Once the chicken is diced, add it to the skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is just cooked through.
Then, add your vegetables. I start with the traditional pot pie vegetables: carrots and peas. But, you can add or subtract to your liking. Sometimes I will add mushrooms or corn. You can also use fresh vegetables or pluck them from your freezer or pantry.
Next, we make the gravy in the pan. First, toss all of the meat and vegetables in a few tablespoons of flour. Then, add chicken or vegetable stock. I normally add a couple splashes of cream or milk too. Just for a bit of richness or decadence. If you don’t like, or can’t have milk or cream, almond or soy milk works well too. Simmer the gravy until it starts to thicken.
If you remember, the pot pies we grew up with had a pie crust style topping. But, we’re making a grown-up version. So, we use puff pastry. It just adds another layer of decadence.
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 1 russet potato diced
- 3 lb. chicken breast
- 2/3 cup peas
- 1 1/3 cup sliced carrots
- 2/3 cup corn
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet puff pasty
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Saute onion and potato in a cast iron skillet on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- While the onion and potato cook, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Add a dab of butter to the skillet right before adding the chicken.
- Cook the chicken until just cooked. Take care not to over cook it so the chicken doesn't turn dry after the rest of the cooking.
- Once the chicken is cooked, add the vegetables. Cook until the carrots are start to soften.
- Toss everything in your skillet in the flour.
- Add the stock and cream and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Lightly roll out the puff pastry so that it fits your skillet.
- Lay the puff pastry over the filling, tucking in any excess on the edges.
- Cut a slit in the top of the puff pastry to let steam escape and place in the oven.
- Bake until the puff pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Notes
