Oh how I love chicken pot pie. However, it is not on the top of the list of the things I like to make. Why? Well, it’s simple… it takes a lot of time to make! Oh but the results are so wonderful!
Making Homemade chicken pot pie takes some time. That is why I do not recommend making this meal during the week… unless you are at home in the middle of the afternoon. There is a lot of steps and well, let’s face it, a lot of waiting time in between the steps.
I have 2 ways of making my chicken pot pie. The main ingredients are the same (chicken, carrots, peas, thyme, parsley, crust) but the sauce is different. You can make the version that is better for your heart (chicken stock and onion to bowl your chicken and then thicken using cornstarch) or the one that is good for the soul (see below for that one)
To make this, you will need:
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups of carrots
- 1 can of small peas
- 2 cans of cream of chicken (not low sodium or low fat… the real stuff)
- 1 1/2 cans of water
- Pie crust that yields bottom and top crust
- 1/2 tsp of dry Thyme
- 1 Tbsp of dry Parsley
- Salt & Pepper
First things first, the crust! All depending how much time you have, you can make your crust homemade, you can use a pre-rolled crust (like Tenderflake), or you can purchase a kit to make it at home. Since I was stretched for time, I used one of these kits this time. The crust turns out very well. Prepare your crust and make into a ball and cut in half. Set aside.
In large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil in order to cook your chicken. In a smaller saucepan, cook your cut carrots until tender.
In the meantime, using a large mixing bowl, add your can of drained peas. In separate bowl, add your 2 cans of cream of chicken. Using the cans, add 1 1/2 can of water. Add 1/2 of Tbsp of the parsley and mix well. Set aside.
Once your chicken and carrots are cooked, drain out the water. Add your carrots to your peas. Using a fork and knife, shred the chicken in small pieces and add to the carrots and peas. Add your Thyme, the rest of your Parsley and some Salt & Pepper to taste. Mix well.
Combine the chicken veggie mixture with the cream mixture and combine gently making sure not to crush the peas.
Using a floured surface, take half of your dough and roll to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. The dough will be fragile to pick up, using your roller, roll the the dough on it to drop in the plate.
Once the bottom portion is set, pour the chicken cream mixture in the crust. Set aside. Again, using a floured surface, roll your second crust making sure it will fit your pie plate.
In order to make nice edges, you want your bottom crust to go over the edges of your plate. This way, when you add your top crust, you will be able to roll the excess dough from the bottom on top and create a nice ridge. This will keep the chicken filling inside.
To help the steam escape, make some slits on top of your uncooked pie crust. No one wants to have a pot pie filling mess in the bottom of the stove.
In a 400 F pre-heated oven, bake your pie for 20 minutes. You then want to bring down the temperature to 350 F and continue to make for another 35 to 40 minutes.
Usually, I would have posted a picture of the final product served on a plate. However, for this recipe, I recommend that you make this ahead of time and not serve immediately. By letting it rest in the fridge, you give time for the cream mixture to thicken and for all the flavors to combine together. As mentioned, the prep time to make this is long (at least 2 1/2 hours from start to finish), so make it in advanced and simply heat up. You’ll also be able to enjoy an evening meal prep free during the week!
