Dinner just got cozier with a pot of warm chicken and veggies smothered in pot pie sauce topped with dumplins. Cozy in a bowl.

Ingredients: Filling

  • 1 potato cubed (about 13 ounces or 2 ½ cups cubed)
  • 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 cup diced leeks (just the white and pale green portions; this took 4 small leeks for me)
  • 1/3 cup diced celery (1 stalk)
  • 1/3 cup diced carrot (1 long carrot; choose a thin one)
  • 1/3 cup frozen corn (or peas)
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp flour
  • 4 ¼ cups chicken stock (1 32 ounce box)
  • ½ cup chardonnay
  • 2 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
  • 4 cups shredded chicken (1 lb.)
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Dumplins

  • 2 cups Bisquik Mix (I use Heart Healthy)
  • 2/3 cups milk (I use nonfat)

Tools & Timing

  • Medium pot and lid
  • Timer
  • Colander or strainer
  • Medium saucepan and lid
  • Large saucepan, ____ quart; or braiser
  • Large wooden spoon
  • Rubber spatula
  • Cutting board and sharp knife
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Oven-safe serving dishes
  • Timing: about 75 minutes; plus an additional 35-45 to rest your chicken and dumplins
  • Servings: between 4-6 people

Background

Chicken potpie is one of my go-to comfort foods…especially in the winter months or on a rainy day…one of my favorite cookbooks is comfortfood: warm and homey, rich and hearty by Rick Rodgers, so when I saw the chicken potpie recipe there, I knew I needed to try it.

After making that recipe my own, I have used it to experiment with various renditions of this homey and hearty dish – hope you enjoy!

Step-by-step

Prep your veggies:

  1. Wash and dice your leeks. To dice leeks, firmly hold the top of the stem near the leaves and make horizontal cuts parallel to your cutting board. Then, make perpendicular cuts lengthwise on the leek…and finally, cut the leek along the breadth (see video).
  2. Peel and dice your carrot – I like to choose a long, thin carrot so I can cut the carrot into single, round pieces because they look so pretty in your potpie. However, if the pieces get too large, cut them in half or in quarters.
  3. Wash and chop your celery. *Think about keeping your celery and carrot pieces roughly equal in size as you cut.

When ready to begin:

  • In medium saucepan, add 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter and a pinch of Kosher salt (1/16 tsp). Turn heat to medium and gently swirl butter as it melts.
  • Once the butter melts, add your leeks, carrot, and celery. Using a wooden spoon, stir until they are evenly coated with butter. Place lid on sauce pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. *During this 5 minutes, prep your potato cubes: Fill a medium pot 2/3 full with water. Wash and cube potatoes roughly into ½ in – 1 in cubes (leave skin on for texture in potpie). As you cut the cubes, place them directly into your prepared water – they brown if exposed to the air!
  • After 5 minutes (your veggies should be tender), turn off heat and stir in corn (or peas). Set on a cool burner to rest.
  • Begin to cook your potato cubes: Cover with lid, turn to high heat, and bring water to a boil.
  • Meanwhile, mince your tarragon (chop finely).
  • …and in large saucepan or braiser, melt 5 Tbsp of unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking continually. Then, slowly add chicken broth as you whisk continually (I slowly pour about ½ cup in at a time until all of the stock has been incorporated – make sure to thoroughly whisk all flour/butter mixture into your stock each time your add more). Then, add your white wine while continuing to whisk. Finally, add the tarragon and whisk to incorporate.
  • *At this point, your water should be boiling –set timer for 10 minutes. Once ten minutes are up, drain your potato cubes and set aside.
  • Once all of your elements (butter, flour, chicken broth, and wine) have been added, bring the mixture to a boil while whisking slowly and frequently (this takes about 15-17 minutes in a saucepan **see note below

(if  using a braiser, this process may take bit longer – if mixture hasn’t come to a boil in 15 minutes, increase heat to medium and stir continually for another 8 minutes, then increase heat to medium high and stir until the mixture boils).

  1. Once the mixture starts to boil, turn off heat and add your shredded chicken, your potatoes, and your sautéed veggies. Season with salt and pepper (I use about ½ tsp of each).
  2. Turn heat to medium or medium high (we want to return the mixture to a simmer). to prep your dumplin dough.

Prep for Dumplins:

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Combine Bisquik mix and milk in a medium size bowl.
  3. Once your mixture has simmers, turn off heat.
  4. If using braiser, drop spoonfuls of mixture onto your filling. If using a baking dish, transfer your pot pie mixture to a large baking dish; then drop spoonfuls of your mixture onto your filling.
  5. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
  6. Cover (with lid or with aluminum foil) and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  7. When done, keep covered and let rest 35-45 minutes before serving (not only will this allow the pot pie filling to cool to an appropriate temperature, but it will give it time to thicken as well!)
  8. To serve, ladle into bowl sand enjoy!

Serve and Enjoy

Other Options

Potpie filling can be used in so many ways!

  1. Traditional chicken pot pie with a savory crust: recipe here.
  2. This is fun to serve with some homemade biscuits: recipe coming soon.
  3. Often, I’ll make the filling…and then serve it in soup bowls with pieces of buttered, toasted cheese bread (I call this Deconstructed Potpie).
  4. I also enjoy making Chicken-Upside-Down-Pie! Simply make the filling…and while the filling is cooling, prep Puff Pastry Shells.

*These are all GREAT options to use the next day and the filling leftovers store well in the fridge for 2 days. I often make a few actual potpies on Day 1, then use my extra filling with these options for dinner for the next two nights!