Pot Pies were always in my house growing up and, when I first started cooking, I did what I learned from growing up – I bought them and just heated them up. When I started cooking, you could NOT get me to even ATTEMPT to make a pie, let alone a chicken pot pie. Want to know why – because making a crust scares the stilettos off of me. Remember the Great Crust Debacle of last Thanksgiving.. because I do. And, in my defense, Sunny Anderson said that it was fine to use a store bought crust for chicken pot pie on the Nate Show – and when Sunny speaks, I listen.
There was a recipe for Chicken Cheddar Pot Pie in a recent issue of Taste of Home that was perfect so I took the plunge. I had every intention of attempting to make the crust – but then fear took over (see above) and I went to my backup that I bought – just in case – my fave Pillsbury Pie Crust. I also played with the recipe a bit, including mushrooms in the mix. I adore Aleppo chili and add it to many of my dishes but you can easily substitute a pinch of cayenne. I made the poultry seasoning and added that to a fresh rotisserie chicken and, at the end I was so thankful for that pinch of nutmeg in the seasoning mix.
Also, while I’m in confessing mode, I will admit that my oven tends to run a bit hot and forgot to put a baking sheet under the bubbling pie – resulting in smoke everywhere. If the Sous Pug had an acute sense of hearing, it was shot that day with the amount of times the fire alarms went off. Thankfully I remembered to cover the edges with foil for the first 25 minutes of cooking and took them off at the end for a perfect crust with non-burnt edges. End result was a tried and true recipe that might have me even making it again, this time with pie crust from scratch…
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- (OR - you could do like me and buy one already made!)
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups peeled cubed potatoes
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper (or a pinch of cayenne pepper)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine flour and salt.
- Cut butter in flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gradually add the water, mixing gently with a fork.
- Gather into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a dutch oven, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
- Add the onions, potatoes, carrots and celery, reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and milk and stir into the broth mixture.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until it's thickened and bubbly.
- Stir in chicken, mushrooms, poultry seasoning, Aleppo pepper (or cayenne), salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the cheese and heat until the cheese melts.
- Spoon into a 10 inch casserole and set aside. (I had enough for one casserole and a baby one)
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled crust to fit the top of the casserole, trimming the edges as necessary.
- Place on the casserole over the filling and seal the edges.
- Make several slits in the center of the crust for the steam to escape.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home
Gather the Ingredients
Don’t judge…
This could be perfect just on its own
Ahhhh – cheddar cheese
Pre-Crust
Fresh out of the oven
The end result – I know, food styling needs some work but the flavor was out of this world.
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Twitter: SueonFood
says:
Yummy. It’s perfect weather for it too. Next time (I’m not judging, I’m gently suggesting) try making the crust and it will take something really good and make it GREAT!
I think I might just have to make the crust next time – preferably on the weekend when the Sous Pug is napping
My mouth is watering.