Chicken Pot Pie
This easy chicken pot pie recipe features a creamy chicken and vegetable filling encased in a buttery, flaky homemade crust. With its comforting flavors and straightforward preparation, it's a perfect dish for a family meal or special occasion.
Equipment
- Food Processor: The easiest way to cut the butter into the flour quickly without warming it up, ensuring a flaky crust.
- Large Dutch Oven or Deep Skillet: For cooking the vegetable filling and making the roux. A 5-quart size is perfect.
- 9-Inch Pie Dish: A standard glass or ceramic deep-dish pie plate works best.
- Rolling Pin: For rolling out the chilled dough.
- Rimmed Baking Sheet: Crucial for this recipe. You will preheat this in the oven and place the pie dish on top of it to ensure the bottom crust cooks perfectly.
- Pastry Brush: To apply the egg wash for that golden-brown finish.
- Wire Cooling Rack: Allows air to circulate under the pie as it cools, preventing the crust from steaming and softening.
Ingredients
For the Flaky Butter Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- ½ cup ice water plus more if needed
For the Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup carrots sliced into rounds
- 8 ounces cremini baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt adjust to taste, see notes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves optional, adds depth
- 4 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed (rotisserie works great)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
For Assembly:
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon water
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse briefly until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs (pea-sized chunks of butter should remain). Drizzle in the ice water while pulsing just until the dough begins to clump together.
- Chill: Divide the dough into two disks, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Tip: Cold dough is the secret to flaky layers.
- Cook the Vegetables: While the dough chills, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and thyme, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Make the Roux: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Create the Gravy: Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened to a gravy consistency.
- Season and Cool: Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste test now. If your broth was salty, you may need less salt. Stir in the cooked chicken, peas, and parsley. Remove from heat and let the filling cool completely to room temperature. Note: putting hot filling in a raw crust will cause a soggy bottom.
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack to heat up (this helps crisp the bottom crust).
- Roll and Fill: On a floured surface, roll out the first dough disk and line a 9-inch pie plate. Pour the cooled filling into the crust. Roll out the second disk and place it over the top.
- Seal and Wash: Trim excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Cut 4-5 slits in the top for steam to escape. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over the top crust. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake: Carefully place the pie dish onto the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with a foil shield.
- Rest: Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the filling to set so it doesn't run when you cut it.
Notes
- Soggy Bottom Prevention: The combination of cooling the filling completely and placing the pie dish on a preheated baking sheet ensures the bottom crust cooks fast and stays crisp.
- Salt Control: Since chicken broths vary wildly in sodium content, we use unsalted butter and low-sodium broth to control the seasoning. Always taste your gravy before adding the chicken!
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the filling a day in advance and store it in the fridge. The pie dough can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!