This Chicken Pot Pie in a whole wheat crust is creamy and comforting. The whole wheat pastry is delicate and flakey. It almost makes it extra savory and inviting.
I'm not going to beat around the bush here: this is the BEST Chicken Pot Pie that I have ever tasted. The BEST! Is it Wedding Fairy friendly? Definitely not!
The other day I received a shower gift with a pie theme. That’s right. A pie theme! I could barely contain myself. [My fiancé gave me some odd looks as I unpacked the box like a 5 year old on Christmas Day. My excitement was palpable.]
Sandwiched between the pie crust cutter and the Emile Henry pie dish was A Year of Pies by Ashley English of Small Measure. Even though, after the Peanut Butter Cup Cookie debacle, I promised the Wedding Fairy that I would behave, I couldn’t resist the Chicken Pot Pie in Ashley’s dazzling book.
As the faintest of nods to the Wedding Fairy, I made a whole-wheat crust. Well that’s gotta count for somethin’ right? I used a Whole-Wheat Pastry recipe from the Boston Cooking School Cookbook [circa 1914], but I completely disregarded their preparation instructions, but the crust was flakey to perfection. [Seriously, who has time to fold in the butter in four layers? I’m not making puff pastry for cryin’ out loud!]
This Chicken Pot Pie is divine. Fresh vegetables are chopped and browned in butter, then a roux is made (yup, more butter!), then chicken broth, wine and half and half are added and then the mixture is covered with buttery pastry and baked to browned perfection. It’s the real deal. It’s flavorful, old-school home cooking at it’s best.
Comfort food incarnate.
Chicken Pot Pie with a Whole Wheat Crust
Ingredients
Whole-Wheat Pastry:
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour (finely ground)
- ½ cup pastry flour (or all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- ½ cup butter
- Ice cold water (I used 6 tablespoons but that will vary)
For the Chicken Pot Pie Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 celery stalk (diced)
- 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen, thawed and patted dry)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock (bonus points for homemade!)
- ½ cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
- ½ cup half-and-half (Can also use ¼ cup milk + ¼ cup cream)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 pound cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken. You can call me a cheater all you like.)
Instructions
Prepare the whole wheat crust:
- Make sure all your ingredients and mixing bowl are cold! Combine flours and salt.
- Quickly chop the butter and shortening into cubes. This will make it easier to work into the dry ingredients.
- Cut the shortening and butter into the flour using a pastry blender or two knives, working as quickly as possible.
- Once you no longer have pieces of butter or shortening any larger than a pea, you are ready to begin adding water. I like to switch to a fork at this stage. Pour ice water over flour / butter mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After each addition, gently mix with a fork. Repeat until your dough is no longer crumbly when you press it together and will hold together in a ball.
- Press into a fat dish, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator while you prepare the pot pie. You may roll it out at this stage and keep it cold and covered on a rimless baking sheet if you like.
Prepare the Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, celery and garlic; sauté on low heat until softened and slightly browned. Approximately 15 minutes.
- If you are using fresh peas, add them at this point and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. If you are using frozen, skip the additional cooking. They will be mush and gross.
- Remove veggies to a large bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in the same pot over medium-low heat, and then add the flour. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes until mixture turns a blond color.
- Slowly add the chicken stock in no more than ¼ cup at a time, whisking after each addition.
- Whisk in wine, half-and-half, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add the veggie mixture back into the pot along with the chicken and stir to cover with the sauce.
Assemble the pie:
- Pour into pan and cover with the pastry. Fold and crimp the edges decoratively.
- Whisk 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush over pastry.
- Cut at least 4 slits in the pastry. Make sure they are completely through the pastry or your steam will exit out the sides and your filling will runeth over. Trust me, I know. Whatever you do, just do it quickly because the warm filling will melt the butter in the crust and then it won’t be flakey. Sadness!
- Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 30 minutes or until the crust is your version of perfectly brown. The whole-wheat crust definitely took an extra 20 minutes to brown the way my fiancé likes it.
- Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken considerably after 40 minutes. It’s your choice. It tastes just as amazing either way.
So easy and delicious! I don’t even use whole wheat pastry flour—just regular whole wheat. Comes together easily enough for a weeknight, but feels more special than the usual pasta or stir fry. Already made it twice—came out perfect both times! Love. Thank you!
Amazing Lara! Pot pie on a weeknight! I bet you have some happy family!
I think I rolled mine too thin 🙁 How thick was yours once you rolled it out?
Oh no! I rolled mine out thicker than I usually do because I was using those mini pie dishes and I didn't want to waste any. They were around 1/4 inch thick, possibly a little thicker.
I made this a couple days ago. My 19 month old son and husband loved it. Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
I'm so glad you liked it! It's definitely the best chicken pot pie I've ever had!
I was commenting on this post the other day and not sure if the comment went through because my computer was freezing at the time. I guess it didn't. Anyways, as I was saying...the pie looks really delish. Looks so hearty and filling. When it comes to pies, I personally like the crust the best, for both sweet and savory pies. Love the flakiness of it.
I hate when that happens! The pie was amazing and I am a huge fan of the whole wheat crust; it had a great flavor!
Whole wheat crust would go so well with a chicken pot pie - I need to remember this! 🙂 This is making me hungry!
It's was excellent! And it made me feel moderately less guilty!
My husband LOVES chicken pot pie. I can't wait to try it! Do you think I could freeze it?
Hey Jules! You certainly could freeze it, but it will probably have a less creamy, smooth consistancy when thawed. Baked crusts are never as flakey once frozen, but if you thawed the whole pie in the oven it would definitely help. Let me know if you try it!
So would it be better to cook the whole pie, freeze it, then put in oven directly from freezer? If so, at what temp and for how long? Thank you!
You could certainly do that. I would bake it at the same temp as the original recipe because you'll want to recrisp that crust while heating it through. But honestly you can never go wrong with 350. As for how long....until its hot inside. You can poke it with a knife or a cake tester
Yum!
oh yes it was!
That pie is GORGEOUS and I loooove the whole wheat crust!
Thanks! The crust was excellent! I thought about you and your puff pastry madness when I read the crust instructions! 🙂