Chicken Pot Pie III
Submitted by sbsp1
Creamy chicken pot pie with a buttery flaky pastry topping over chunks of chicken, carrots, celery, and onion in a half-and-half cream sauce. Single-crust comfort that bakes up bubbly and golden.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThis chicken pot pie is a top-crust-only version, which means more filling per bite and one less rolled crust to fuss with. The base sauce is a proper roux-thickened gravy: butter and flour cooked together for a minute (no raw flour taste), then chicken broth and half-and-half whisked in to build a velvety velouté.
The classic mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot gets a 10-minute sauté in butter before the flour goes in, which softens the vegetables and pulls out their sweetness. Cooking the flour for a full minute after adding it is what stops the sauce from tasting pasty.
Cut steam slits in the pastry top before baking; without them, steam pushes up against the crust and creates soggy spots. The crust browns and crisps while the filling bubbles up around the edges.
Chef Tips
- Use store-bought puff pastry or pie dough if you don’t want to make pastry from scratch; both work for a single-crust pie.
- Cut the chicken in larger dice, not shredded; it holds its texture better in the thick gravy.
- Let the pie rest 10 minutes after pulling from the oven before serving; the filling thickens as it cools and slices cleaner.
- Use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. Pull the meat from a store-bought bird and simmer the carcass for the broth.
Variations
- Stir a cup of frozen peas in with the chicken for a more traditional pot pie.
- Add a tablespoon of fresh thyme or sage with the salt and pepper for an herbal lift.
- Top with mashed potato instead of pastry for a chicken cottage-pie hybrid.
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté onion, celery, andamp; carrot in butter for 10 minutes.
Add flour to sautéed mixture, stirring well; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Combine broth and half-and-half; gradually stir into vegetable mixture.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened andamp; bubbly.
Stir in salt and pepper.
Add chopped chicken, stirring well.
Pour chicken mixture into a greased shallow 2-quart casserole.
Top with pastry; cut slits to allow steam to escape.
Bake at 400℉ (200℃) for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
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