This may be a bit more of a fall and winter dish, but I recently happened to have on hand some extra pie dough, a chicken and some stock. Not to mention it's been a long time since I tasted that homemade Chicken Pot Pie that I remember my mom making when I was a kid.
You will need pie dough for the crust. I recommend our dough recipe that we use for our famous Apple Pie. That is what I used here. But you can also use a pre-made pie shell if you like. You will need two shells if you want to do a top and bottom layer. In this recipe, I skipped the bottom layer and used a Pyrex pie dish. If you follow The Chopping Block pie dough recipe, it will make enough for both a top and bottom layer.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 whole chicken
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick whole butter, unsalted
1/4 cup flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoons dry thyme
3 carrots medium dice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
Roast your chicken at 375 degrees F for approx 50-60 minutes until cooked completely. I used a technique called spatchcock, to remove the backbone which helps speed up cooking time and promote more uniform cooking. I also roast it over some veggies or a wire rack to help even cooking.
While the chicken roasts, prepare the sauce.
Melt the butter in a large pot and add the flour. Cook and stir constantly over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook the roux. Whisk in the chicken stock and continue to stir regularly as it comes to a simmer. Do not stop stirring during the first few minutes to prevent the flour from burning on the bottom. Add the bay leaf, thyme and carrots. Cook over low heat stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the peas and the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
When the chicken is done, let it cool enough to handle. Remove the meat and cut or shred into medium pieces. Add the chicken to the sauce and stir.
Pour the chicken mixture into your pie dish and top with the pie crust.
Brush the top of the crust with a little egg wash and poke some holes in the top with a fork for steam venting.
Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Many of our cooking classes cover techniques mentioned here, such as Pie & Tart Boot Camp, Chicken 101 or our individual a la carte Boot Camp classes. Need a pie dish for this recipe? All of our retail merchandise is 20% off through July.
