Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Some comfort foods excite people simply by hearing their names. Homemade chicken pot pie is a classic that will bring your friends and family to the table with smiling faces and forks in their hands. And the amazing truth is the dish is easy to make.

My Easy Homemade Pie Crust can be made ahead and ready in the freezer for when you want to serve up an old-fashioned one-dish meal that is a favorite. What is even better, I use rotisserie chicken so it takes under an hour to assemble this dish. Another bonus is it can be made earlier in the day, and then popped in the oven to bake while you toss together a salad and set the table making dinner truly stress-free. If you need another reason to make this homemade chicken pot pie recipe soon, you can change it up to make individual pot pies which is my favorite way to serve it. Everyone feels special and the recipe works either way.

Rotisserie Chicken For the Win

The average rotisserie chicken weighs about 3 pounds including meat, bones, and skin. From that, you will get about 4 cups of shredded chicken.

That breaks down in weight 12 ounces of white meat and 8 ounces of dark meat. A ratio of 3 parts white to 2 parts dark is a good rule of thumb for chickens and turkeys.

I keep a gallon-sized zip-close freezer bag and add the chicken bones to the bag whenever I have some. When the bag is full, it is time to make soup. The bones are usually picked clean so I’ll follow my recipe for Turkey Noodle Soup From Scratch with the bones, but poach a chicken breast when I add the vegetables for the soup or use some leftover rotisserie chicken meat. It is a great way to get an extra wonderful meal from what you have made before.

Vegetables for Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

My recipe includes the standard carrots, celery, and onions. But I also like to use a leek since it adds an oomph of flavor to the filling. I often use potatoes to make the pie a bit more hearty. However, if I’m making individual pot pies, I don’t add potatoes since they take up more space in the filling and I want to focus on the veggies and chicken. You can add frozen peas and sweet corn just before spooning the filling into the prepared crust. No need to defrost the frozen veggies since they will cook through as the crust bakes. Use whatever vegetables you like. Just cut them into bite-sized pieces so they will cook through. I aim for about 6 cups of diced raw vegetables.

The Sauce Starts with a Roux

Don’t be intimated with making sauces or gravy for that matter. Roux is a French term for a mixture of fat and flour that are cooked together. A couple of simple ratios are all you need to make the most useful sauce called bechamel.

Melt 2 ounces of butter in a medium saucepan. Then stir in 2 ounces of flour. (That’s the secret ratio equal parts fat to flour) and cook for several minutes to lightly toast the flour.

Then slowly whisk in 3 cups of chicken broth. Stir until thickened. This makes a fairly thick sauce. We are going for comfort and extra creaminess so you will add 1/2 cup of cream (or half and half) to add just the right amount of mouth feel to the sauce.

Making the Filling

With the chicken shredded, the vegetables chopped and the sauce made, it is time to put all the goodness together. You want to give the root vegetables bit of extra cook time so add them to the sauce first. While they begin to soften in the bechamel sauce simmering on medium-low heat. Roll out the pie crust you made earlier. You will need both a bottom and top crust. So roll one of the dough halves out large enough to extend at least 1″ beyond the size of the pie pan on all sides. When you ease the bottom crust into the pie pan, it is also time to add the rest of the vegetables (except the frozen peas and corn) and chicken to the sauce on the stove.

And here is your next tip. Take the pot off the stovetop when you stir in the veggies and chicken meat. You want the filling to cool down before adding it to the pie pan. Add the herbs, taste and adjust the seasoning and let the filling rest while you roll out the top crust.

Assemble the Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Now is when all the pieces come together. Make an egg wash by whisking together 1 beaten egg with 2 tablespoons water. Use a pastry brush to paint the bottom of the pie crust. This will protect the bottom of the pie and keep it from getting soggy.

Stir the frozen peas and corn into the filling. Carefully ladle the filling into the prepared pie crust. I don’t pour it in since that adds the liquid first and splashes the filling all over. Add the chicken and vegetables so they are almost even with the top of the pie pan. You will have more filling than you need to fill a standard 9″ pie pan, but if you are making eight individual chicken pot pies it will come out with just a bit more than you need.

And here is another amazing tip, the extra filling can be frozen, and be used to make an entirely different recipe of chicken and dumplings for a bonus meal.

Arrange the top crust over the filling. Fold the edges so they seal with the bottom crust and pinch to create a decorative edge or use the tines of a fork to crimp the crusts together. Cut out decorative shapes from any leftover crust and place them around the top. Generously brush the egg wash over the top of the pie and use the tip of a knife to cut a few vents in the top crust for and steam to escape as the pie bakes.

That’s it! You are ready to sit back and enjoy the wonderful smells that will fill the kitchen as this amazing comfort food bakes. When it is finished, remember to let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting into the chicken pot pie so it has a chance to set up.

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