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Remember microwaving frozen chicken pot pies when you were a kid? I sure do. For me, nothing says “childhood comfort” like this classic dish. I’m so pleased to share with you a homemade chicken pot pie that calls for all real ingredients.
I’m just going to remind everyone – because you’ll be shocked at the amount of butter called for in this chicken pot pie recipe – that BUTTER IS GOOD. Ok? Ignore the outdated marketing campaigns that told you to avoid butter. In fact, I’ve heard it said that if you want to do one thing to improve your health, you should eat more butter. Hey, count me in!
Butter is Always Better
Grab your Dutch oven (or heavy bottomed pan) and place it on medium heat. Melt ten tablespoons of butter (that’s one stick plus two more tablespoons) and as the butter starts to melt, throw in the diced onion. All measurement ingredients are listed in the recipe below.
Allow the onion to cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Then mix in the diced celery and carrots and cook another 5 minutes or so. After those veggies are all tender, stir in the garlic.
A tip on building recipes: start with onion, then add other vegetables, and end with garlic. Onion needs a head start so it breaks down and turns sweet. Garlic burns easily, so doesn’t need to cook as long.
Next, stir in the flour until well incorporated and completely moist. I use soft white wheat flour that has been freshly milled. If you are unfamiliar with making your own flour at home, check out my post on Homemade Flour. Let the flour cook about a minute and then turn up the heat to medium high.
Next, pour in the chicken stock, heavy cream, and whole milk. Add the salt and pepper. Stir everything well until the pie filling starts to bubble and thicken. Turn off the burner and remove the pot from the heat. Mix in the peas and the cooked chicken.
For the chicken and the chicken stock – follow my step by step guide on How to Boil a Whole Chicken. When I make this Chicken Pot Pie recipe, I boil a whole chicken first and use the chicken stock and meat from the chicken for the pies. It turns out so delicious. (You also end up with lots of extra stock to freeze!)
Make Pie Crusts from Fresh Milled Flour
After the filling is made, set it aside so it can rest and cool slightly. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then grease two pie pans.
For the pie crusts, I also like soft white wheat. Whisk the flour and salt together in a heavy glass bowl. Incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands. Then add the cold water and mix thoroughly using a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.
Separate the dough into four equals parts and form them into round balls. You really want the dough to be chilled so it’s easier to work with when you build your pies. Use cold butter and ice water, I also pop mine in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before I roll it out.
Build the Chicken Pot Pies
Using a rolling pin (this silicone one is the best), roll out one of the dough balls on a lightly floured surface until about 10 to 11 inches. Pick the pie crust up and place it in a greased pie pan. Scoop in half of the pie filling (about four cups), roll out another pie crust, and put it overtop of the pie. Pinch the edges together and repeat these steps to build the second pie.
(If you don’t want to cook both pies, line a pie pan with parchment paper before building the second pie. Build the pie and then place it into the freezer about 6-8 hours, or until frozen solid. Using the parchment paper, pull the frozen pie out of the pie pan and place into a freezer bag. Store pie in the freezer to bake another night. (Thaw and place in the original pan before baking.) Will keep up to 6 months.)
Cover the pies loosely with aluminum foil. Place them in the hot oven and bake 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the aluminum foil and bake another 30 minutes.
Pull them from the oven and serve warm, but let them sit on the counter about 10 minutes so they thicken. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! If this isn’t your childhood-in-a-dish, I’d love to know what is!
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Equipment
- 2 Pie Pans
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 10 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 2 cups Onion, diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- 1 cup Carrots, diced
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- ¾ cups Soft white wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup Whole Milk
- 2½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 15oz Can Sweet Peas, drained
- 4 cups Chicken, cooked and chopped*
Pie Crust
- 5 cups Soft white wheat flour plus extra for rolling out
- 2 tsp Salt
- 3 sticks Unsalted butter, cold
- 14 tbsp Water, cold
Instructions
Pie Filling
- In Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add diced onion and cook until soft, stirring to prevent sticking (roughly 5 minutes).10 tbsp Unsalted butter, 2 cups Onion, diced
- Mix in the celery and carrots and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.1 cup Celery, diced, 1 cup Carrots, diced, 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- Slowly stir in the flour until well incorporated. Let that cook about a minute and then turn up the heat slightly.¾ cups Soft white wheat flour or all purpose flour
- Pour in chicken stock, heavy cream, and milk. Then add salt and pepper. Stir well until the filling starts to bubble and thicken.2 cups Chicken Stock, 1 cup Heavy Cream, ¼ cup Whole Milk, 2½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Black Pepper
- Turn off burner and remove pot from heat. Add the peas and cooked chicken.* Let the filling cool slightly while you prepare the pie crusts.1 15oz Can Sweet Peas, drained, 4 cups Chicken, cooked and chopped*
Pie Crust
- You can now preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease two pie pans.
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a heavy glass bowl. Incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands. Then add the cold water and mix thoroughly using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.5 cups Soft white wheat flour, 2 tsp Salt, 3 sticks Unsalted butter, cold, 14 tbsp Water, cold
Build Pies
- Separate dough into four equals parts and form round balls. Work with one ball of dough at a time, storing the rest in the fridge to keep chilled.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and place in greased pie pan. Scoop in half of the filling (about four cups) and top with a second rolled out pie crust. Pinch the edges together and repeat to build the second pie.
- Cover pies loosely with aluminum foil. Place in hot oven and bake 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove aluminum foil and bake another 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm, but let them sit on the counter about 10 minutes so they thicken. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freeze a whole pie in a freezer bag for an easy dinner another night.**
Notes
Nutrition
