This past weekend, I bit the bullet. I didn’t care that it was still 70 degrees, I NEEDED this pot pie. Come hell or high water, we were having this for dinner on Sunday. And then we woke up Sunday morning to a rainy, overcast, 50-degree fall day. So if you bake it, fall will come.
Now let’s talk about this actual pot pie. This is hands down one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It was exactly what I have been craving for so many weeks. This is no cheater recipe, let’s be straight – no cream of anything soups, homemade crust, the works. The only thing you get to cheat on is buying a rotisserie chicken. But it is SO worth the extra time. If you’ve never made homemade pot pie, this is the place to start. It was so amazing, you’ll never go back to cheating again. Scott and I just kept groaning at the kitchen table, with occasional mutterings of “it’s so good!” as our eyes rolled back in our heads. Anyone overhearing our dinner conversation may not have believed that this was all over some pot pie! But THAT is how good this pot pie is.
But you can’t freak out about the un-healthiness of this recipe. Ignore all that butter and treat yourself to this most amazing comfort food. I won’t tell if you won’t!
I have about ten different recipes that were “in line” to be blogged before this one, but just begged to be moved to the front of the line. I just couldn’t wait any longer to post this. Do yourself a favor, add everything to your shopping list and plan on making it this weekend. Even if you don’t have fall weather yet. Don’t be intimidated by the long recipe – it’s long, but simple. Just wait for a lazy Sunday. If you bake it, fall will come!
Chicken Pot Pies
Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally by The Pastry Queen
for the filling:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large russett potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 rotisserie chicken
6 oz box frozen peas
for the sauce:
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I ended up needing 3 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half, only because I already had some)
salt and pepper
for the crust:
16 tbsp cold unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz cream cheese, chilled, and cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large egg
For the filling:
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and potato and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, bell peppers, and carrots, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
While the veggies are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Shred of chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. When veggies are finished cooking, stir in frozen peas and chicken. Stir in red pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove to a large bowl, place pan back on burner.
for the sauce:
Melt 8 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk until smooth – will be very thick. Whisk in chicken stock and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper. Pour over veggies and chicken and stir to combine well. Spoon mixture into 6-8 oven-safe dishes such as ramekins of bowls. Can also make this in a casserole dish.
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 375. Cut remaining 2 sticks of COLD butter into 16 pieces. Fit your food processor with metal blade. Add butter and flour and pulse until crumbly. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper, and continue pulsing just until the dough starts to form a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4th inch thickness. Cut dough rounds about 1 inch larger than dishes. Lay rounds on top of dishes. Beat egg with a whisk and brush the tops of the dough with the beaten egg. Place pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easier transfer. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy! I know we sure did!
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