One of the ultimate comfort foods, homemade chicken pot pie is so wonderful on a rainy winter day! Better yet, this recipe makes enough for excellent leftovers! Enjoy!

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

Presentation Option 1 – Traditional

  • Frozen puff pastry
  • 1 egg and a pinch of salt

Presentation Option 2 – Deconstructed

  • Bread of your choice (I like sourdough or a good brown bread)

Presentation Option 3: Chicken Upside Down Pot Pie

  • Pepperidge Farm Puff pastry Shells

Or check out my newest post: Chicken n Dumplings, Pot Pie Style

Tools & Timing

  • Medium pot and lid
  • Timer
  • Colander or strainer
  • Medium saucepan and lid
  • Large saucepan, ____ quart
  • Large wooden spoon
  • Rubber spatula
  • Cutting board and sharp knife
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Oven-safe serving dishes (for Traditional presentation)
  • Timing: about 75 minutes
  • Servings: depends on ramekin/bakeware size; this recipe makes about 6 ½ cups of filling – I like to make 4 servings of Chicken Potpie when I first make this, and reserve more filling for leftovers served as Deconstructed or Upside-down Potpie then next day (see Other Options below).

Background

Chicken pot pie 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. While I LOVED the use of leeks from the original recipe, I definitely wanted to play with some of the other components, specifically to incorporate potatoes and white wine. Hope you enjoy.

Step-by-step

Prep your veggies:

  1. Prep your potato cubes: wash and cube potatoes roughly into ½ in – 1 in cubes (leave skin on for texture in potpie). Set aside.
  2. 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 pics).
  3. 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.
  4. 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, mince your tarragon (chop finely).
  • After 5 minutes (your veggies should be tender), turn off heat and stir in corn (or peas). Set on a cool burner to rest.
  • Prep your potato cubes: Fill a medium pot with water. Turn to high heat and bring water to a boil.
  • Meanwhile, in large saucepan, 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). 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 – add your potato cubes and set timer for 10 minutes.
  • Once all of your elements have been added, bring the mixture to a boil while whisking slowly and frequently (this takes about 15-17 minutes). *In this interim, cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces (especially important if you purchased pre-made shredded chicken).
  • Once the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat. Add your shredded chicken, your potatoes, and your sautéed veggies. Season with salt and pepper (I use about ½ tsp of each).
  • Let cool until lukewarm (at least 40 minutes).

Prep for Pot Pie:

  1. As mixture is cooling (and solidifying), remove puff pastry sheet from freezer to thaw and set egg on counter to come to room temperature. Set a timer for 40 minutes.
  2. Once puff pastry has thawed, preheat oven to 400.
  3. Scoop pot pie mixture into oven-safe bakeware, leaving ½ in of empty space at the top of each. (Think about your mixture to crust ratio – if you like more crust, use a more shallow baking dish – I use ½ cup of mixture in 7 ounce baking ramekins.)
  4. In a small prep bowl, beat egg and a pinch of salt.
  5. Cut puff pastry into appropriate sizes and shapes to cover the top of your baking dishes. Make sure you cut each piece so it can extend a bit over the edges of your dishes, which ensures a nice seal; otherwise, your pastry crust won’t bake evenly! Cut a few slits in the center of each pastry for ventilation.
  6. Using a pastry brush (or paper towel), lightly brush the puff pastry with egg.
  7. Lay puff pastry, egg side down, on to each potpie. Press around the edges to seal the puff pastry down. Then, brush the top of each pastry with the rest of the egg wash.
  8. Place all of the ramekins on a baking sheet (you may want to cover the sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil – this way, it’s easy clean up in case any of your pot pies bubble over). *Store any leftover filling in a covered container in the fridge.
  9. Bake for 25 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
  10. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
  11. To serve, place each ramekin on a plate (the bakeware will be hot to the touch).

Serve and Enjoy

Deconstructed Pot Pie

Other Options

Pot pie filling can be used in so many ways! Often, I’ll make the filling…and then serve it in soup bowls with pieces of buttered, toasted cheese bread (I call this Deconstructed Pot Pie). I also enjoy making Chicken-Upside-Down-Pot-Pie! Simply make the filling…and while the filling is cooling, prep Puff Pastry Shells.

To reheat, simply add it to a sauce pan and warm on medium-low, stirring frequently (and add half and half or whole milk as needed to obtain desired consistency – just be careful not to let it boil).

To make pot pie again on the second day, follow the same directions as above (you do not need to heat the filling first).

*These are both GREAT options to use the next day and the filling leftovers store well in the fridge for 2 days (if you are purchasing pre-made chicken, just be sure to check the sell by date and use your filling by that date). I often make a few actual pot pies on Day 1, then use my extra filling with these options for dinner for the next two nights!