Classic Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

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Pot pies are perfect for using up leftover ham, chicken, turkey, beef, and lamb almost any meat really. They are perfect for using up leftover stews, as well. Just make the pastry, add the stew, and bake it off.

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Pot pies are meant to be an individual dish. If you want to do one pot pie for a group consider doing a "pot pie" with a biscuit crust. Essentially the filling goes into a cast iron pan and biscuits are arranged over the top. Basically it's stew and dumplings.

All classic pot pies are made the same way. It makes no difference if it's a chicken pot pie recipe or a turkey pot pie recipe or beef or lamb pot pie recipe. In a nutshell, or pie shell, you line a pie plate with pastry, add the filling, then add a top crust. Seal the edges, cut some slits in the top, and bake them until they are golden brown. Isn't it amazing that some of the best comfort food is the simplest to make!

If you have a chicken pot pie recipe and you only have leftover turkey, substitute the turkey meat for the chicken meat and you're on your way. The same thing applies for a beef pot pie, just substitute beef for the chicken and substitute beef stock for the chicken stock and you're there.

The filling for pot pies is essentially a stew, you're just making the stew as individual components and you're not stewing it. 

Because pot pies are a relatively straight forward dish the quality of the individual ingredients are going to have a big impact. Use really good stock, preferably homemade, and use excellent vegetables. it's important to remember that the filling ingredients need to be cooked before they go into the pie.

Pastry for pot pies is identical to pie crust, but you omit the sugar. The recipe for the pastry, below, is a simple ratio. It is called 3-2-1 pastry because it is 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part liquid by weight. The ratio only works by weight. You can't use volume measurement. If you do, you'll have a mess resembling greasy paste. 

If you want to make a pie crust with an excellent flake you can substitute lard for some or all of the butter. If you use lard or tallow from organic grass fed animals it isn't really bad for you. While lard produces a better flake butter has a better flavor. A nice compromise is to use half lard, or tallow, and half butter.

The only fat available to people in the past was lard or tallow and pie crusts were always made with those fats. That's why they were so flaky, lard actually produces a much flakier crust than butter. (Lard is rendered pork fat, tallow is rendered beef fat.)

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Combine the flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Add the butter.

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Work the flour into the butter using your fingertips, until it resembles coarse sand, in texture.

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Add the water and work the dough until it just comes together, being careful not to overwork it. Form it into a disc and wrap with plastic film.

When you add the water it needs to be very cold, ideally use ice water.

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Blanch the vegetables in liberally salted water. Add the pearl onions, boil for 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Set aside.

Add the carrots and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the potato, boil for 5 minutes, remove and set aside.

Add the peas, cook 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Set aside.

When the pearl onions are cool enough to handle squeeze each onion between your thumb and forefinger. The onion will pop out of it's skin.

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Add the cooked vegetables and the chicken or turkey meat. Give it a stir and set aside until you're ready to fill the pies.

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Once the pastry is made and rolled, and the filling is mixed and ready line the pie plates with the bottom crust, then fill the pies. 

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Top each pie with pastry. Trim any hanging dough and seal the edges by crimping with a fork. Cut slits into the top of each pie, this helps to prevent boil over while the pies are baking.

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Chicken Pot Pie Recipe From Scratch

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• Yield: 4 chicken pot pies
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

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Equipment

• Individual pie pans
• Rolling pin

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Ingredients

For The Pastry

• 300 grams (10-1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 200 grams (7 ounces) unsalted butter or lard, cut into small pieces
• 100 grams (3-1/2 ounces) ice water
• 5 grams kosher salt

For The Filling

• 50 grams (1.7  ounces) pearl onions, about 10, tops and ends trimmed
• 35 grams (1.2 ounces) carrot, half a large carrot, sliced thin into half moons
• 1 large potato, 1/4 inch dice
• 100 grams (3-1/2 ounces) fresh peas
• 180 grams (6-1/2 ounces) leftover chicken, or turkey, meat, large dice

For The Sauce

• 700 milliliters (3 cups) chicken stock, or turkey stock
• 55 grams (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 50 grams (1-3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

For The Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon water

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Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
   

For The Pastry

1. Combine the flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. whisk to combine. Add the butter and work it into the flour using your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand, in texture. 
2. Add the water and work the dough until it just comes together, being careful not to overwork it.
3. Form it into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Longer is fine up to a day.
4. To roll out the dough divide it into eight equal pieces. While you work one piece keep the remainder covered and cold. Place it on a lightly floured work surface and pound it out with the rolling pin, until it's about a quarter inch thick (half centimeter). Dust the top with a little flour and roll out into round an eighth inch thick (fourth centimeter). Line the bottom of an individual pie pan and set aside. Continue until all four pie pans have a bottom crust.
5. After filling the pies, roll out the remaining pieces of dough, as above. Top each pie with a dough round and crimp the edges with a fork. Cut off any dough hanging over the edges.

For The Filling

1. To peel the pearl onions cut off both ends and blanch  them with the skin on. 
2. Blanch the vegetables in liberally salted water by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add salt, and return to a boil. Add the pearl onions, boil for 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Add the carrots and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the potato, boil for 5 minutes, remove and set aside. Finally, add the peas, cook 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Set aside.
3. When the pearl onions are cool enough to handle squeeze each onion between your thumb and forefinger. The onion will pop out of it's skin.

For The Sauce

1. Add the stock to a 3 quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile in another 3 quart saucepan over medium heat add the butter. Once the butter melts add the flour and whisk to combine, this is called a roux. Cook the roux for two to three minutes, this cooks out the pasty taste of the flour.
2. Slowly pour the stock into the roux while whisking. You can pour a little at a time and fully incorporate it. The sauce will thicken dramatically. Pour a little more and whisk in. As you keep adding stock the sauce will thin. Once all of the stock is incorporated bring the pan to a full boil over medium heat. Allow to boil for about a minute, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. When the sauce is done strain it through a medium mesh strainer into another pot or large bowl that will accommodate the sauce and vegetables. Add the cooked vegetables and the turkey meat. Give it a stir and set aside until you're ready to fill the pies.

For The Egg Wash

1. Combine the egg, salt and water in a small bowl. Scramble with a fork and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.
   

Putting It All Together

1. Once the pastry is made and rolled, the pie pans are lined with the bottom crust, and the filling is mixed and ready fill the pies and top each pie with pastry. Seal the edges and trim any hanging dough. Arrange on a parchment lined sheet pan and cut slits in the top.
2. Brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash. Bake in a 350° / 175° oven until golden brown on top, about 45 to 60 minutes.

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Notes

• Using a food processor
• If you would rather use a food processor be mindful of not overworking the pastry, otherwise it will be tough. As well, bear in mind that the best pastry crusts are made by hand.

1. Combine the flour and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the butter and pulse the mixture off and on in very short bursts until  it resembles coarse sand, in texture. 
2. Add the water and pulse off and on until the pastry just comes together, being careful not to overwork it.
3. Transfer the pastry to a lightly floured work surface and form into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Longer is fine up to a day.

Tags: chicken pot pie recipe, turkey pot pie recipe

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tag: chicken pot pie recipe, turkey pot pie recipe