All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pie
“I cannot make enough chicken pot pies. Regulars call on Tuesday mornings to reserve a pie, forcing me to erase them from the Tuesday specials board before we open for lunch. I keep doubling the number I make, but the demand grows to meet the expanded supply. I’m about to have a line out the door waiting for pot pies.”–Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen
I won’t lie. Usually when Jeff asks for chicken pot pie, I pick up a Marie Callender’s from the grocery freezer for him and make something lighter for myself. I love chicken pot pie, but most just sit in your belly, playing Solitaire and watching their stories.
Then I saw a photo of Rebecca Rather’s All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pie in her first cookbook, “The Pastry Queen.”
I NEEDED one. So, out came the pans. And the bowls. And the rolling pin. It was time to get old-school.
While the vegetables were cooking, I started the sauce: butter, flour, chicken stock, Tabasco. The heavy whipping cream is optional, so I decided to skip it, since the sauce was already nice and thick.
Once you add the sauce to the filling, it’s time to spoon the chicken mixture into 1 1/4-cup capacity oven-safe bowls. NOT ramekins, unless you have many, many, many ramekins or they are very large.
Finally, the crust. I thought it’d be a Labor of Love, but it was actually 30 seconds in the food processor. Roll it 1/4-inch thick, and cut rounds that are 1 1/2 inches bigger in diameter than your bowls. Then drape the dough rounds over the tops of each bowl, and brush them with egg wash.
Since the filling is already fully cooked, the pies only need 20 to 25 minutes in the oven.
The recipe makes six individual pot pies. You could definitely cut it down, but since it requires a significant investment in time, ingredients and dirty dishes, I suggest making the full amount and freezing the extras. According to the cook’s notes, you can double-wrap any unbaked ones in plastic wrap. Then when you’re ready, pop them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Without the whipping cream and the double-crust, these pot pies taste much lighter than most, and the freshly cooked veggies give the filling much more flavor. I can definitely see (and taste) why regulars call Rebecca Rather to reserve their Tuesday pot pies. I should be marking mine in the freezer right now …
All-Sold Out Chicken Pot Pies
From Rebecca Rather’s “The Pastry Queen”
Yield: 6 servingsFilling:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 purchased cooked rotisserie chicken or 1 whole stewed chicken, cooled
- 8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
- 1 (8-ounce) package frozen peas (optional)
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
- Dash of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Crust:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 ounces chilled cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 large egg
To Make The Filling: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and potato; sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and sauté about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the crushed red pepper and add salt and pepper to taste.
While the vegetables are sautéing, skin the chicken, pull the meat off the bones, and shred the meat or cut into bite-size pieces. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl and add enough water to cover. Cover the dish and microwave on high power about 10 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain thoroughly. Stir the beans, peas, and chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.
To Make The Sauce: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Add the cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and white pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine. Fill individual 1 1/4-cup capacity oven-safe bowls three-quarters of the way to the top with the creamed chicken filling.
To Make The Crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.
Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls–mine are about 4 inches across–and cut out dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Variation: Pot pies lend themselves to all manner of vegetable additions, such as diced carrots, fresh corn kernels, diced turnips, sliced celery, cut-up asparagus spears, or sliced wild mushrooms. Just add them to the sauté mix and enjoy.
Oh yum yum yum. This is perfect for those chillier evenings and it’s all about building up a pastry layer to block out the colD!
Wow, David loves chicken pot pies – and I like to be able to control what goes into them. Great idea – thanks because I’m stealing it!!!!
You know it’s autumn when the chicken pot pie recipes surface! Lovely pics, BTW.
These look fantastic…I have the Pastry Queen cookbook and needed a push to try something new from it for fall – this is it!
Wow! I admit that I have that cookbook but have yet to make anything from it…I think it deserves to be opened this weekend! :)
Wow, that looks delicious! Can I phone and book my order with you?? Love the visual of the pot pie playing Solitaire!!
We’re some serious chicken pot pie lovers around here, and with this gray and rainy we’ve been having, I think this would hit the spot!
Looks fabulous! It’s almost fall-like here today, maybe I’ll make these for dinner!
I got a blog award yesterday and want to pass it on to you (see my blog to get it).
This is one of my favorite comfort foods. Well, this and a huge wedge of cheesecake, deep fried and served with a double shot of bourbon. And a “Deadliest Catch” marathon.
But for now — I’ll go with the chicken pot pie.
I have this cookbook and have been wanting to make this recipe. You’ve just convinced me!
This looks so good! I love chicken pot pie. I’ll definitely have to make this.
Oh my! This looks sooo good! I love chicken pot pie! Your making my ,mouth water:)
Oh my gosh, that looks so delicious. I love pot pie. I want to wrap that crust around me like a blanket.
This looks amazing! There’s an old Bobby Flay recipe for a pot pie that’s baked in a casserole dish, and the crust had chopped sage in it. The one dish for baking made it a little less work, and the crust was awesome.
Rebecca-
I have both of Rebecca Rather’s cookbooks and I just adore them and her little bakery! Thanks for giving a shout out to her! ps—your pot pies look heavenly!!!
I started making my own potpies a few years ago. I really like the creamyness of the cream, but I actually use chicken broth, 1% milk and a little teeny bit of cornstarch to thicken. I love biting into my own potpie and finding a good crunch in the veggies instead of mush.
I haven’t had chicken pot pie in so long. I agree with what you said about Marie Callender’s pies. They’re so dense!
Speaking of pies and crust, you ought to submit this to the CLICK photo event on Jugalbandi’s site.
This looks totally delicious! I believe Grumpy would eat this in a heart beat….and me too!
Oooh, inspiring! those look absolutely fab :)
I made Ina Garten’s recipe last year and they were even better out of the freezer. Probably because you haven’t just done all the work. Perfect for a rainy night with a movie.
Oh, hurry up and get here, chilly weather, so that I can make these! They look amazing — and good to hear that they feel a little lighter in the belly than the standard CPP. BTW, someone sent a little blogging award to me, and I wanted to pass it on to you because I really enjoy your blog (although I suspect that it’s probably been shared with you many times already!). It’s on my blog if you are interested. Thanks for educating and entertaining!
I’ll line up at your door for these beauties.
Thanks for blogging about this – my husband ADORES chicken pot pie, but he likes it with a double crust (“light” is not in his vocabulary!). I will definitely be making this!
This is the ULTIMATE comfort food. You have a a perfect jewel here. Awesome!!!!
I had the best Chicken Pot Pie ever when I was in Alaska this summer. The chef was kind enough to give me the recipe! I can’t wait until it gets cold enough to make it–it’s still 90 and over where I live!
I am curious about the frozen pie – does it turn soggy and gummy after it is baked?
Hey, Maya– Good question. I haven’t had a problem with sogginess, but I haven’t tried any long-term freezing yet. The pie should be fine, because there’s no bottom crust to get soggy, and there’s a pocket of air between the filling and top crust.
I find it tastier and easier to roast boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes and then cube them.
wow that looks very tasty. The recipe seems like the crust will be very fluffy and flaky. As fall comes around this sound great.
It looks so perfect and creamy!
I don’t want it to be time to want to make chicken pot pies every day. But I’ll yield….just a little bit…for this one.
WOW, this looks amazing. I want one of these for lunch =)
The recipe looks great. Can you recommend a good cardiologist?
This looks like great recipe for when I am in need of comfort food!
Love chicken pie. Will try this one for sure.:-)
These look great. I think the art of the meat pie has been lost and worth rekindling. Thanks for creating and posting this. Photography is great as well.
Mmm Mmm, small torured bird.
U should call it fat bastard pie!
That looks amazing. Great job and thanks for sharing.
Briliant! this is so yummy and absolutely delicious!
It is truly amazing and very fantastic! Thanks for sharing! I love it!
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Would be very difficult for me try, no way i can cook this one. Hats off to the cook
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Great recipe!!! Love the fact that you can prepare everything in advance.
I am a massive fan of pies and eve made a video about the search for the perfect one last week! I think the standard is getting much better, certainly here in Ireland anyway! I still think the best pies I have ever had were in Australia as they literally treat it as a religion over there! My all time fav would have to be a good chicken and mushroom! Nice pics, made me want a pie real bad!
YUM I love pot pie!!! Thanks for the recipe!
I found your delicious looking pie on Tastespotting and combined your recipe with another to come up with one that better suited our tastes. I did use your crust recipe and I had to improvise because my dough never “formed a ball” as the recipe states. I added water to make it form a dough but I was curious if you had had any issues with it. I didn’t see any liquid ingredients mentioned, so I’m not sure how it would ever come together. Otherwise, a delicious dish and the crust, with the addition of the cream cheese, was exceptional! I’ll have a post up about it tomorrow.
Thanks,
Danielle
Wow. That is an indulgent recipe. I have never had pastry crust with cream cheese? What does that add? Cant wait to try it.
I LOVE chicken pot pies and this recipe sounds mouth watering! I will have to make them soon, it now as me craving them!
Looks amazingly delicious!
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Wow, that looks absolutely delicious! You did a great job presenting the pictures too, I will definitely have to try this recipe when I have some time this weekend :)
Cooked this last night, it was fantastic – thanks for sharing.
Try some Juliet Mae curry in the pie! Really the curry is hand made and equal to the rest of the effort.
Oh mannn, I used this recipe as a guide to make miniature ones (in cupcake tins XD), and it is delicious. I've got crust all around it, though, because crust is awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
Great pie and some great photos too. I am loving it ;)
It would be better and healthier with one half of the sauce. Less wet and more chunky. Fabulous recipe but even better reducing amount of sauce. Really works well.
I can't wait to try this. It looks incredible!