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? All in all, 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 certainly 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 altogether 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.
While preparing this chicken pot pie, I was having a severe culinary Goldilocks moment. All my baking dishes were too big or too small. I thought I found one that was just right until I started pouring the filling and my dish that seemed so cavernous before now looked insufficient. Mini Chicken Pot Pie to the rescue!!! When isn’t a tiny pie a good idea? Isn’t it the cutest?
I’m not even going to show you the big one. It’s not cute, but it was just as delicious!
In case you couldn’t guess, this magnificent Chicken Pot Pie has my Fiancé’s Seal of Approval. He was a fan in a big way.
Chicken Pot Pie in a Whole-Wheat Crust
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pastry
- 1 cup fine whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- ½ cup butter. Unsalted
- Ice cold water [I used 6 tablespoons but that will vary]
Chicken Pot Pie
- 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 fresh peas 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
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 pound cooked chicken (I used a trusty grocery store rotisserie chicken. You can call me a cheater all you like.)
Instructions
Whole Wheat Pastry
- 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.
Chicken Pot Pie
- 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°
- 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.
- 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.
If you would like some additional pictures for the art of pie crust making, and I don’t blame you if you do, then check out my tutorial here! This whole-wheat crust will not be as wet as the one in the tutorial. It shouldn’t be wet or sticky at all. A new tutorial coming soon!
Note: Your Chicken Pot Pie will only be as good as your chicken broth. I use homemade because it’s richer, lower in sodium and much lower in fat. Here’s a tip for making the most of your rotisserie chicken. I bought two rotisserie chickens; I picked them clean; we ate one for dinner that night and I saved the second for the pot pie; I made a double recipe of my deep, rich, homemade chicken broth with the carcasses of my chickens; and then I made my chicken pot pie. The left over broth goes in the freezer for future use. It makes me feel like Holly Housewife, not gunna lie.
This is what happens if you are impatient…
20 Comments
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
September 4, 2013 at 8:51 amThat pie is GORGEOUS and I loooove the whole wheat crust!
Lindsey
September 4, 2013 at 9:37 amThanks! The crust was excellent! I thought about you and your puff pastry madness when I read the crust instructions! 🙂
Phillip
September 4, 2013 at 2:23 pmYum!
Lindsey
September 5, 2013 at 1:11 pmoh yes it was!
Julia
September 5, 2013 at 1:00 pmMy husband LOVES chicken pot pie. I can’t wait to try it! Do you think I could freeze it?
Lindsey
September 5, 2013 at 1:11 pmHey 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!
Trudi Baldwin
September 18, 2018 at 2:25 pmSo 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!
Lindsey
October 4, 2018 at 5:27 pmYou 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
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com
September 5, 2013 at 11:35 pmWhole wheat crust would go so well with a chicken pot pie – I need to remember this! 🙂 This is making me hungry!
Lindsey
September 6, 2013 at 8:27 amIt’s was excellent! And it made me feel moderately less guilty!
Miss Kim @ behgopa
September 11, 2013 at 9:40 pmI 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.
Lindsey
September 12, 2013 at 9:36 amI hate when that happens! The pie was amazing and I am a huge fan of the whole wheat crust; it had a great flavor!
Lindsey
October 17, 2013 at 12:55 pmI made this a couple days ago. My 19 month old son and husband loved it. Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
Lindsey
October 17, 2013 at 1:14 pmI’m so glad you liked it! It’s definitely the best chicken pot pie I’ve ever had!
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Holly
February 26, 2014 at 7:49 pmI think I rolled mine too thin 🙁 How thick was yours once you rolled it out?
Lindsey
February 26, 2014 at 9:31 pmOh 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.
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Lara
August 26, 2018 at 5:54 pmSo 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!
Lindsey
October 4, 2018 at 5:37 pmAmazing Lara! Pot pie on a weeknight! I bet you have some happy family!