As chilly weather settles in, so does our craving for old-fashioned favorite dishes. Chicken pot pie ranks among the best and most popular comfort foods. While Southerners claim the meat pie as a fundamental staple, versions are found throughout the country and beyond.
The chicken pot pie we all know and love was just as popular in Medieval England. Today, it’s still a favorite in Great Britain, called pasties: delicious folded, hand-held pies filled with meat, vegetables, and gravy. These put American fast food to shame!
There’s nothing fancy about chicken pot pie. It’s precisely what its name implies. Chicken, hearty vegetables, and gravy are served in a flaky pie crust. The name “pot pie” comes from it being made on ships.
Unfortunately, some only know chicken pot pies as a frozen dinner from the grocer. The CA Swanson company produced the first frozen versions in the 1950s. Today, brands such as Banquet, Stouffers, and Marie Callender’s join a host of restaurant and celebrity chef offerings. Ironically, it takes about an hour to bake a frozen pot pie—roughly the same time it takes to make my favorite from scratch version.
The dish is deceptively easy—and quick to prepare. So, you don’t have to wait for a weekend to assemble, bake, and enjoy this childhood favorite. While traditional pie crust is the universal standard, I’ve become a real fan of puff pastry. I’ve made chicken pot pie in a cast iron skillet for years, but using large-size muffin pans works well, too. For the skillet version, I skip adding a bottom crust. If desired, fancy edges or leaf cutouts of crust can be added before baking.
Frying and shredding or dicing chicken breast is the norm, but using rotisserie chicken works just as well—especially if you're short on time.
Vegetables in traditional pot pies include potatoes, onion, peas, and celery, but just about any vegetable can be used. Its flexibility makes it easily adaptable to vegetables you have on hand, tastes, or dietary restrictions.
However, no Southern chicken pot pie is complete without one essential element: the frozen peas!
Ingredients
1.5 pounds of chicken breast
6-8 Tbs. butter
1 c onion – diced
1 c carrot – diced
1 c potato – diced
1 stalk celery – sliced
1 Tbs. thyme
½ c flour
3 c chicken stock
½ c heavy cream
½ c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 puff pastry sheets
1 egg – beat for egg wash
Directions
Fry chicken breast in a large pan. Set aside and shred.
In the chicken pan, melt butter. Add vegetables and seasonings. Cook until onions are soft.
On medium-low heat, incorporate the four and add the stock, stirring until well mixed. Simmer until hot and thick. Don't overcook the vegetables; remember, the pie goes in the oven later.
Turn off the heat and add the cream, chicken, and peas.
Cut pastry into squares to fit, and line large-size muffin tin.
Brush inside with egg wash.
Add filling.
Cut circles for lids, pinch edges, and brush with egg wash.
Bake for 30 minutes at 375 F.
Refrigerate leftover pies; reheat in the oven.
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