Chicken Pot Pie

This was my first time making chicken pot pie, and also my first time making any kind of pie crust from scratch! I can certainly understand now why the process of crust-making is so notorious for being frightening, but I encourage just diving in... The results might not be beautiful the first time, but having homemade pie crust is worth it :)

I made the crust first and then refrigerated it to be used later. Here's the basic recipe I found, which makes 2 9-inch crusts:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 1 tbsp fat (chilled and cubed)

3-4 tbsp ice water

Mix the first three ingredients together with a fork until combined. (Most people recommend a blend of half butter and half shortening, but if you're cooking chicken and stock from scratch, the butter can be replaced with chicken fat.) Then add the water gradually, mixing until a ball forms.

Chill if necessary, then roll out on a floured surface when it comes time to assemble the pie. Lots of flour will definitely make your life easier here. I chose to roll mine out on the countertop on top of a sheet of wax paper for easy handling.

I laid the bottom crust out in this square pan, since I didn't have a pie pan on hand. Laying it was probably the scariest part: I was afraid of the crust stretching and breaking in about a million places, but nothing catastrophic happened. As you can see, it's not the most beautiful coverage, and I had to patch it up in a couple of places with extra crust cut from the edges, but it worked out!

Some of the comments on Allrecipes.com, where I found the recipe for the pie, recommended using an egg wash on the crust and baking the bottom one first, so I did that and baked the lower crust for 5 minutes at 375F.

Now, for the filling!

I used leftover rotisserie chicken, a potato, carrots, celery, and peas. The recipe doesn't include potatoes, but I had one on hand. (According to my quick research, potatoes are not a good idea if you are planning to freeze any pies, but I was not.) I poured the filling mix into the pre-baked crust and then started the onions for the sauce.

In go the ingredients for the rest of the sauce: flour, broth (I used a chicken stock that I made myself for the first time!), milk, and seasonings. For the seasonings, I used salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of Mrs. Dash because I had it on hand.

The sauce then gets poured over the filling into the crust as well. I used more chicken broth and more milk than the original recipe as others recommended.

Another tense moment passed as I laid on the top crust... but it worked out... okay I guess? Make sure to cut some vents!

Like several commenters recommended, I baked the pie at 375F for roughly an hour until I was satisfied with the crust's color.

Recipe (adapted from this version)

Ingredients:

2 9-inch pie crusts

1 lb cubed chicken

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

1 potato, diced

1/2 cup diced celery 

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup flour

Salt, pepper, and other seasonings as desired to taste

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tbsp water)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a saucepan with some water, boil the vegetables and chicken (if yours is uncooked. I started the potato first, then added the carrots, and a few minutes later the celery and peas. I added the chicken at the end.) Drain if excess water remains; set aside.
3. In a pan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Add in flour and seasonings, then slowly mix in the broth and milk. Simmer the mixture on medium-low until thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Brush the bottom crust with some egg wash and bake it for about 5 minutes. After removing it from the oven, place the chicken and vegetable mixture in, and then pour the sauce mixture over it.
5. Cover the pie with the top crust, seal the edges, and make a few slits in the top crust.
6. Bake the pie in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool before serving.

Regrettably, I don't have a better picture of the insides, but it was absolutely delicious!