Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie

Whether baked in one large pie or in smaller tins as pot pies, these savory pies are rich and tasty with a luscious flaky crust~a real family favorite! I make these any time of year, but they are especially wonderful the week after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey!

Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

Servings: 3-4 people
Time: Two hours (plus a little prep a few hours before)
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Flaky Pie Crust (Make Ahead)
Makes enough for a 9″ pie or 3-4 pot pies (depending on size)

2-1/2 cups (315g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt (or 1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt)
6 T and 1 tsp (90 g) unsalted butter, frozen and grated
3/4 cup (138 g) vegetable shortening, frozen
1/2 cup (120 g) iced water

A few hours before making the crust, measure the butter and shortening and grate them. Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the frozen butter and shortening.
Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick.

Drizzle the cold water in, a little at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon as you go. Make sure you don’t include any ice bits. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. You may need to add a little more water if it’s too dry.

Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself 5-6 times (NO MORE) until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands.

Wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour (and up to 5 days). You may also freeze it up to 3 months. If freezing, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before making your pie.

When ready to assemble your pie, dust a clean counter with flour and roll out the first chilled pie dough disc with your rolling pin using gentle force. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Have flour for the counter and for the rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick. Visible specks of butter and fat in the dough are perfectly normal and are a good thing! It’s really important that you do all these steps quickly so that the butter and shortening don’t start to melt before going into the oven. The less they melt, the flakier your pie crust will be!!

For a 9″ pie plate, roll roughly a 12″ circle. Fold in half and gently lift the pie dough onto the pie plate. Unfold and then press lightly on the dough so it evenly covers the bottom and sides. Trim the dough 1″ from the outside edge and then tuck it all around. You can take a fork and press the tines all around, or crimp the edges any way you like. When the pie bottom crust is ready, cover lightly with plastic wrap and return to the fridge.

(If making pot pies, roll your bottom crust 2″ bigger than the circumference of your pot pie pan.)

Take the second pie dough disk out of the refrigerator and roll it out into a 10″ circle. Lay it on a parchment paper on a plate and return to the fridge. Prepare your filling.

The Filling
4 chicken thighs (or chicken breasts if that’s your preference) or 4 cups of cooked turkey meat (skip the cooking step)
2 carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
3-4 stalks of broccolini, diced
1 T garlic, minced
1 cup crimini mushrooms, diced (or your favorite mushroom)
2 T salted butter
1 T olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

First Roast the Chicken:
Set the chicken on a sheet pan with parchment on it, drizzle oil and season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes. It will be “almost done.” (The rest of the cooking will be done inside the pie). Set aside to cool and then slice into bite size chunks.

Veggie Time
Dice all your veggies except the mushrooms (I saute them separately in butter) and saute in butter/oil in a Dutch oven or cast iron pan on medium heat until caramelized and cooked through. When the veggies, mushrooms and chicken are all done, bring them together in one pan. Turn off the heat.

In a small saucepan, make a roux.

Roux
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (homemade is best, but I’m also a huge fan of Better Than Bouillon’s Vegetable Stock).

Cook the flour and butter in a deep saucepan on medium heat, stirring the entire time, until the color is like that of peanut butter. It will have a nutty aroma.

Gradually add 2 cups of hot vegetable or chicken stock. Whisk into the roux, being careful of splatter.

Keep stirring for 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens and then stir into the vegetable/chicken mixture. No need to reheat at this point.

Assembling the Pie
Take the bottom crust out of the fridge. Pour in the filling and then lay the top crust on top. Press the edges together to seal them. Crimp the edges the way you’d like. Cut 3-4 slits in the top of the pie with a sharp knife.