It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that a friend taught me the secrets to flaky pie crust, so I couldn’t have made a decent pot pie, even if I had been moved to do such a thing. But then I started going to a local restaurant that had chicken pot pie on their menu. One night, I ordered it, and with the first bite, all the memories came flooding back.

This pot pie recipe is one that is going to be used to start a new chapter in my relationship with pot pies. I will build new memories of sharing them with good friends, who will be as comforted by their wholesome simplicity as I am.

 

INGREDIENTS

For the Crust

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

½ cup cold buttermilk

1-2 tablespoons cold water

1 large egg, beaten, for the egg wash

 

 

For the Filling

¼ cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup diced onion

2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)

1 stalk celery, sliced (about ½ cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1¾ cups chicken broth

½ cup heavy cream

3 cups shredded chicken or turkey

1 cup frozen peas

 

DIRECTIONS

First, make the pie crust. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat. Dump the mixture out onto a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll the butter into thin sheets, combining it with the flour. Use a bench scraper to scrape the rolling pin and to bring the mixture back into a pile as necessary. Continue until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour. Mixture will be very flaky. Return mixture to the bowl and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the butter.

Remove from freezer and add the buttermilk. Use a spoon and then your hands to stir the mixture until it comes together into a ball. If mixture is too dry, add the water a tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough in two and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge while you make the filling.

To make the filling, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the flour, salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Whisk until there are no flour lumps and then simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken or turkey and frozen peas. Remove from heat and set aside while you roll out the pie dough.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Pat with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Trim the extra overhang of dough with a knife and discard. Fill pie with filling. Roll out the second disk of dough and carefully cover the pie. Trim the extra overhang off the sides. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork or your fingers. With sharp knife, slice a few small slits in the center of the top crust. Using a pastry brush, brush crust and edges with beaten egg.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. I use a pie crust shield to protect the edges from browning too much too soon. Cool for 10 minutes, cut into slices and serve.

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Quick Tip:  You can freeze this pot pie and keep it for a month. Go ahead and bake it, then let it cool completely – totally cooled to room temperature. Then wrap it in several layers of foil and label it with the date you freeze it. You can freeze an entire pot pie or individual slices.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod