Chicken Pot Pie
This was seriously the best chicken pot pie I've had. It had many 5-star reviews. I substituted potatoes for celery and boiled the vegetables in chicken broth for added flavor. I also used a flaky pie crust that was easy to make.
This was seriously the best chicken pot pie I've had. It had many 5-star reviews. I substituted potatoes for celery and boiled the vegetables in chicken broth for added flavor. I also used a flaky pie crust that was easy to make.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- crust
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
- 1/2 cup sliced celery
- Carbohydrate 18.6653015978578 g
- Cholesterol 227.974083718979 mg
- Fat 50.7810184711582 g
- Fiber 2.48377757173907 g
- Protein 59.8406824595468 g
- Saturated Fat 16.7837263789032 g
- Serving Size 1 1 pan (387g)
- Sodium 455.275493330983 mg
- Sugar 16.1815240261187 g
- Trans Fat 4.1484495205498 g
- Calories 784 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
- In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
- In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Replacing water with seasoned broth during the initial boiling stage infuses the chicken and vegetables with savory depth before they ever encounter the pastry. Starch management dictates the success of a gravy-based filling. Cooking the flour and butter roux over medium heat until smooth eliminates raw flour tastes, while slowly whisking in cold milk and broth prevents lumps from forming. Adequate thickening requires simmering the dairy and broth mixture over medium-low heat until it coats the back of a spoon prior to assembly. Cutting slits in the top crust before baking at 425 degrees Fahrenheit allows trapped steam to escape, preventing the bottom pastry from becoming soggy.
Achieving Structural Integrity
Pastry success depends on temperature control. Cutting chilled, diced butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs creates pockets of fat that melt during baking, generating steam and producing flaky layers. Resting the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour relaxes the gluten network, preventing shrinkage during baking.
- Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry turns golden brown and the filling bubbles vigorously.
- Allow the baked pie to rest for 10 minutes before slicing to let the gelatinized starches set the filling.
- Dice chicken breast halves into uniform sizes to ensure even internal cooking during the initial boil.
