Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Crust

Need a simple dinner to use up leftover chicken? Pure comfort food and perfect for this cold winter weather! This healthy recipe is easy to prepare and ready in about an hour. Can be made into individual servings too for a fun family dinner!

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Crust

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 potatoes, 1/2-inch cubed
2 carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped (~3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups leftover chicken, cubed or 1 large chicken breast, ~1 pound
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup 1% or nonfat milk
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
Optional: 3 – 4 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese for topping
Cheddar crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons cold butter
4 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
2 – 3 quart saucepan with lid
Rubber or bamboo spatula
Measuring spoons
Two cup liquid measuring cup
Dry ingredient measuring cup
Small wire whisk or fork
Deep, 10-inch pie plate or 4 - 1 1/2 cup ramekins/small bowls, oven proof
Medium bowl
Pastry blender
Waxed paper
Rolling pin
Pastry brush
Half sheet pan

“Heaven... I’m in heaven” ... this is the song my hubby sang when I made this dish today! Heavenly dish ... packed with flavor and one of his favorites! Perfect dish when it’s cold outside too. I often roast a chicken to turn on the oven and then make a variety of meals out of the bird. Breasts in my family are often eaten first, the dark meat becomes a casserole of some sort and then soup is made from the carcass and whatever meat is leftover! That’s three super yummy meals out of one chicken... economical too! Chicken pot pie doesn’t need two pie crusts either. I make one for on top with a bit of cheddar cheese. Covers the filling with the perfect amount of crust... less calories too. My recipe doesn’t involve complicated cooking techniques. If you can chop relatively well, you’ll do fine! So, let’s grab your ingredients and prep all the fresh ingredients before you begin to cook anything. Recipe will be much more efficient to prepare!

Filling Prep:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

After you have the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes prepped, place a 2 – 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat with the olive oil for ~ 2 minutes. Sauté the onions, celery and garlic for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to release their aroma. Next, add the carrots, potatoes, chicken broth and seasonings. Cover the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Vegetables will still be a bit crisp, but will continue to cook with addition of other ingredients.

If using fresh chicken, add cubed chicken to the pot with veggies to cook.

As the vegetables are cooking, chop the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. To thicken the filling, you will be creating a slurry of milk and flour. Add the flour to cold milk in a 2-cup measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Filling is almost finished! Add the chicken, corn and peas to the broth mixture. Stir well. Pour the milk slurry into the vegetables and broth. Stir and cook over medium high heat for about 3 - 5 minutes or until filling has thickened, as shown above. Pour into a deep, 10-inch pie plate.

Crust preparation

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Crust15.jpg

Crust preparation is pretty easy! I know you are probably thinking... Ah, I can’t make pie crust! You can do it... pretty easy. Follow my steps and you’ll be fine! Start your crust preparation while the vegetable filling is boiling. Everything will be ready at about the same time. Prepare your ingredients as shown. Butter needs to be cold and hard. Cut into about 8 small cubes. Make the cold water by placing 1/4 cup water and ice in a measuring cup. Let it set until needed.

Pics of crust mixing

To prepare the crust, place all the dry ingredients and cheese with the butter cubes in a medium mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers. Using an up and down mixing motion, cut the ingredients together until they resemble course very small chunks. Kind of looks like cornmeal crumbs, as shown above. Takes about 5 minutes. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the flour is moistened, but not doughy. Dough should barely hold together when squeezed. If your flour was measured properly, you will need from 3 1⁄2 - 4 tablespoons. Dough should easily form into a ball without crumbling. If not, mix in a 1⁄2 tablespoon more water.

These next steps will help you roll out a great crust. Cut two 18-inch pieces of waxed paper and place one on a flat surface. If dough is sticky, sprinkle with a little flour on the center of the waxed paper. Place the ball of dough on top of the waxed paper. Flatten the ball into a 5 – 6 inch disk. Cover with the other piece of waxed paper and fold over to gently wrap. Place dough to rest in the freezer while you are finishing the filling, no longer than 15 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and carefully unwrap. Lift top sheet and sprinkle with a bit of flour. Replace paper and roll dough out until the circle is as large as the pie pan, plus one inch. Roll dough north and south, then east and west and at an angle as you roll to make a circle. Move the paper covered disk whichever direction you need to roll. (Pie crust will be about 1/4-inch thick) Dough is forgiving, so if circle is uneven on one end, tear a piece off...place I where youneed it and continue rolling. First time might be challenging, but remember playing with play dough as a child? You can make it whatever shape you want! Check out my Cherry Pie with Crumb Topping recipe for more pie crust tips if needed!

** If making individual servings, place baking dishes upside down on thinly rolled dough and cut ~1/4 inch larger around them. Dough scraps will have to be combined to cover 4 ramekins. Cut vent holes in tops and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Using waxed paper to prepare your crust makes placing the top crust on top so much easier. First, peel the top crust paper. Then, lift the paper and crust and flip it onto the center of the filled pie plate. Once in place, carefully peel off the waxed paper. Fold and trim edges to make a fairly perfect circle. Crimp edges to create a pretty fluted edge and make a few decorative slits in the center for steam vents. Brush the top with half & half or melted butter. Your pie is ready to bake!! Place pie on a half sheet pan to catch the drips as the pies bake. Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 25 – 30 minutes or golden brown and bubbly.

** Optional: Sprinkle the extra few tablespoons of cheese on crust during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Bubbling yumminess!! When your pie first comes out of the oven you will be so happy! Even lift doesn’t look perfect... it will smell and taste amazing! Allow the pies to cool a few minutes before serving, as they will be molten hot. Scoop out a quarter of the whole pie and serve in bowls with a side salad. Individual servings can be eaten right out of the ramekin... Enjoy!