This Homemade Chicken Pot Pie features a made from scratch double crust, tender chicken, loads of vegetables, and a rich gravy. It’s a labor of love to make this just right, but the result is perfectly comforting.
This chicken pot pie is a bit on the time consuming side. It takes about an hour to bring all of the elements together and another hour to fully cook, but it is well worth it.
The key to making chicken pot pie is to take the time to do each step just right. The instruction list can look a bit daunting, but when you break down each step, the process goes from overwhelming to easy as pie.
“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
― Alice in Wonderland
Poach the chicken breasts rather than boil or sauté for really tender, moist pieces. The milk and broth help to flavor the chicken and the chicken flavors the milk and broth.
The poaching liquid is half chicken broth and half whole milk. Bring the liquid to a low simmer and place raw chicken into the pot. Simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes. Check the chicken at the halfway point, and turn it over to make sure the pieces are evenly cooked.
Use cook time to prepare for the next step. This will make you more efficient in the kitchen.
Prepare the pie crust. Start by blending flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour. You can use a pastry cutter or hold two knives and make a cutting motion through the flour and shortening. Work this mix until the shortening and flour combine and form pea sized balls.
Egg yolks make an extra rich crust.
Separate 4 eggs. Beat the egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of cool water. Add the eggs and water to the flour and shortening.
Use a fork to gently mix the beaten eggs and water into the shortening and flour. Once the dough starts to come together, you can use your hands to work the dough into a ball. Stop once all of the flour is picked up and the dough can hold its form.
To knead or not to knead.
Do not knead the crust. Once all of the flour is integrated, divide the dough into three even balls.
How do you roll pie crust without it sticking and breaking?
Divide the dough into three equal parts. Place a round ball of dough between two large pieces of parchment paper. Flatten the dough with your hand first. Then roll the crust into a round.
Start with your rolling pin in the middle of the dough and work pushing out to the edge. Turn the rolling pin a quarter turn every stroke to get a nice round crust. When you roll the crust into rounds, they should really hold together.
Crust is the best part of this Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I always do a top and bottom crust.
Place the first crust on the bottom of your pie plate. Roll a second crust for the top, and save it between the parchment until you are ready to cover your filling.
Get back to your filling. The chicken should be tender and easy to pull apart.
When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the poaching liquid. Shred it, and set it aside.
Reserve two cups of the poaching liquid for the gravy.
Cut vegetables into small even pieces for best result.
Dice carrots, onions, and celery into quarter inch pieces. Sauté them in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add frozen peas and let them defrost and warm through. Put the shredded chicken to the vegetables and season the whole pot with dry spices.
Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture to the pie plate.
Make the perfect gravy with the bits left in the pan from the filling and the reserved poaching liquid.
In the same pan you made the filling, add butter and flour. On low heat, bring the butter and flour together with a wooden spoon and let cook for about a minute to make a rue.
Add the reserved poaching liquid to the rue and stir until the milk absorbs the rue and there are no lumps. Season with thyme, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Bring the gravy to a low simmer. It will start to thicken. When it coats the back of a wooden spoon, take it off the heat.
Pour the gravy over chicken and vegetable filling. Gently spread the filling and gravy around so that the pie crust is filled evenly.
Place the second crust on top. Crimp the sides all the way around to prevent leaks and pot pie disaster.
Cut a slit in the center of the pie to allow steam to vent.
The key to perfectly cooked pie crust is to start at a high temperature for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to allow the inside to cook.
The oven should be heated to 425 degrees. Place the pot pie in the oven on the center rack.
After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 45 more minutes.
Let the chicken pot pie rest on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Letting it cool a bit will help your filling stay in place, and allow the gravy to thicken up.
This homemade chicken pot pie is a meal in and of itself, so you don’t really need to make a side dish. However, it is really rich, so a nice green salad with the Ultimate Italian Dressing compliments the dish nicely.
If you enjoyed shredded chicken dish; try this Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowl and Chicken Enchilada Flautas.
📖 Recipe
Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ⅓ Cups Shortening
- 3 Cups all purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 6 tablespoon Cool Water
Pot Pie Filling
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Cup Carrots
- 1 Cup Celery
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ⅓ Cup Butter
- ⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dry Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of milk to a simmer in a medium sized saucepan to create a poaching liquid. Place 1 lb or approximately 2 chicken breasts into the pot and let simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is poaching, make the pie crust using the instructions below. Roll the bottom crust and place it in the pie plate. Roll out the top pie crust and leave it between two pieces of parchment.
- Once the pie crust is made, clean and dice 1 cup of yellow onion, 1 cup of carrots, and 1 cup of celery and set aside.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked and tender, remove chicken breasts from the poaching liquid.
- Reserve 2 cups of the poaching liquid.
- Shred poached chicken with a couple of forks or roughly chop the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- Dump the remaining poaching liquid from the pot and put back on the stove for the next steps. Heat the pot on medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan, and saute diced onion, celery, and carrots. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon dry thyme, and ½ teaspoon chili powder.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the shredded chicken and frozen peas to the pot. Mix together and heat on low until the peas are warm.
- Place the pot pie filling into the bottom crust you’ve prepared.
- In the same pot used to make the filling, add ⅓ cup of butter. Let it melt on low heat and add ⅓ cup of all purpose flour. Use a wooden spoon to bring the butter and flour together and let cook for a minute or two to make a rue.
- Add the reserved poaching liquid to the rue and stir together working out any lumps. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon dry thyme, and ½ teaspoon chili powder.
- Bring the pot to a low simmer and the rue and poaching liquid becomes a thin gravy.
- Pour the gravy over the filling in the pie crust. Give the pie plate a little shake to make sure the gravy gets evenly distributed.
- Place the top crust on gently. Trim away any dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie plate. At the edges, gently turn the top crust over the bottom, making a ring around the entire pie plate. This will seal your crusts together and prevent leaking. Use your fingers to create a nice design around the edge.
- Use a knife to cut a slit in the center of the crust to let hot air escape and prevent spill over.
- You want to make sure that your crust is fully cooked both top and bottom and achieve a nice golden brown color and no soggy bottom. Preheat your oven to 425°. Cook pie in the middle of the oven of 425° for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350° without opening your oven. Cook the pie for 45 minutes more.
- Place pie on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then cut into 8 slices and serve.
Pie Crust
- To make pie crust, measure 1 ⅓ Cups shortening and put into a large bowl. Add three cups of flour and a teaspoon of salt. Use a pastry cutter or two butter knives held between your fingers to mix this together. Rock the pastry cutter back and forth around the bowl, or drag the butter knives through the mixture over and over until the shortening and flour are well combined and you have pieces no bigger than a pea.
- Next, separate four egg yolks and beat together with 6 tablespoons of cool water. Add the eggs and water to the flour and shortening. From this point, I use my hands. Fold everything together, integrating the eggs and water into the flour and shortening. Mix it gently until there is no loose flour left. Stop before the dough is truly smooth to prevent overworking.
- Separate the pastry into three equal parts. Take one of the three dough balls and work it a bit more with your hands. Shape it into a ball and then lay it between two pieces of parchment.
- Use your hand to flatten the dough a bit. Use a rolling pin to roll the crust out. I do this by starting in the center each time and then rolling to the edge turning my hands a quarter turn each time to form a circle. Well, something approximating a circle.
- Slowly, peel back your top layer of parchment. Then place that piece of parchment back on the crust. Flip the crust and both layers of parchment over so that the top paper is on the bottom, and the bottom paper is on the top. Slowly peel the top layer of parchment off again. It sometimes helps to gently rub your hand around the crust before doing this just so it slightly sticks to the bottom parchment. I really mean gently rub, and only slightly sticks. If you put too much force into it, you are right back where you started from.
- Slowly, peel back your top layer of parchment. Then place that piece of parchment back on the crust. Flip the crust and both layers of parchment over so that the top paper is on the bottom, and the bottom paper is on the top. Slowly peel the top layer of parchment off again. It sometimes helps to gently rub your hand around the crust before doing this just so it slightly sticks to the bottom parchment.
- Put the filling in the pie plate.
- Repeat the rolling process with a second ball of dough and new parchment.
- Place the top crust on gently. Trim away any dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie plate. At the edges, gently turn the top crust over the bottom, making a ring around the entire pie plate. This will seal your crusts together and prevent leaking. Use your fingers to create a nice design around the edge.
Nart | Cooking with Nart says
I love chicken pot pies. This one looks really delicious!
Carrie Robinson says
Such perfect comfort food! My family would love this. 🙂
Cookilicious says
That looks like the perfect stay-at-home dinner!
Kushigalu says
Chicken pot pies are one of my favorite. This looks amazingly delicious. Love it
Tara says
Such a wonderfully comforting meal! Love that crust. This chicken pot pie sounds absolutely incredible!