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Heavenly Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
Velvety, creamy, heavenly.

What’s more comforting than Chicken Pot Pie? Meaty chunks of chicken in a velvety creamy sauce loaded with leeks, carrots, peas, onions, and fresh thyme and all topped with a buttery crust? Heavenly. 

I wish I’d thought up this recipe, I really do because you’d think I was some kind of culinary genius but I must give credit where credit is due. I found this at one of my favorite food blogs, The Smitten Kitchen, and truly, this is now my go-to chicken pot pie recipe. Here’s the link to the original recipe.

Most recipes for Chicken Pot Pie either have you roast or boil the chicken first and then make your creamy sauce rather than braising your cooked chicken directly in the sauce to get every smidgen of flavor possible.

It works so much better when you cook your chicken in the sauce! The sauce will be a bit more golden than a typical Chicken Pot Pie sauce but the flavor is out of this world rich and delicious. I made a few tweaks to the recipe but really, it’s a keeper and I bet you’ll love it as much as I do!

The other thing I love about this recipe is that it’s all made in one pot. It takes a bit of time to do all the steps but I guarantee you it’s worth every velvety bite. This is incredibly rich and delicious, it’s the ideal meal for a cool fall night and I guarantee, your family will gobble up every bite!

Chicken Pot Pie
Browned chicken simmering in the rich sauce.
Chicken Pot Pie
I forgot to take a picture before we ate dinner. Oh well, use your imagination and imagine a golden brown crust atop all that rich, creamy goodness.

Chicken Pot Pie
Sliced leeks.
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Heavenly Chicken Pot Pie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 servings
 
What's more comforting than Chicken Pot Pie? Meaty chunks of chicken in a velvety creamy sauce loaded with leeks, carrots, peas, onions, and fresh thyme and all topped with a buttery crust. Heavenly.
Ingredients
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 ½ to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, (breasts, thighs and legs)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (3 tablespoons at room temperature)
  • 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices
  • 1 large onion, diced small
  • ¼ cup dry sherry or white wine (optional)
  • 3 or 4 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup milk or heavy cream
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour (or use a gluten-free all purpose flour mix)
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas (no need to defrost)
  • 2 large carrots, diced small (about 1 cup carrots)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Pie crust recipe of your choice, regular or gluten-free (I have a terrific crust recipe I use for my Blackberry Slab Pie that would be great for this. See the link in Kate's Tips below.)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
  1. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy dutch oven. Salt and pepper the chicken parts well.
  2. Cook chicken in the butter until nicely browned on both sides, about 7 minutes per side. Do this in 2 batches if necessary.
  3. Remove chicken to a platter.
  4. Add the chopped onions and leeks and cook about 7 minutes or until softened. Add the sherry and use it to scrape up any brown bits. Simmer till it's mostly cooked off, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the ¼ cup of milk or cream, 3 cups chicken broth, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken pieces to the pot and any juices.
  6. Cover pot and simmer for about 30 minutes.
  7. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly. Discard the bay leaf. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon.
  8. In a medium bowl, mash butter and flour together with a fork until a paste forms and no flour is still visibly dry. Pour one ladleful of filling over it, and whisk until smooth. Add a second ladleful, whisking again.
  9. Return mixture to the larger pot, stir to combine, and bring mixture back to a simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken to a gravy-like consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add the additional cup of chicken broth. Adjust seasonings, if needed.
  10. Add carrots and peas to stew and simmer for 3 minutes, until firm-tender. Shred or dice the chicken, discarding the bones and skin or saving it for another use. Return chicken to stew and re-simmer for 1 minute. Stir in parsley.
  11. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough large enough to cover either four 2-cup ovenproof bowls or one large (8cup) casserole dish.
  12. Fill bowls leaving about 1 ½ inches below rim for simmering.
  13. Whisk egg with water to make an egg wash. Brush edges of bowls with egg wash so your crust can adhere. Place crust over each bowl or your large casserole. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 30-35 minutes.

 Kate’s Tips

  • This would be a heavenly base for Chicken and Rice. Especially if you’re going gluten free.
  • To make this gluten free: use a good gluten free baking mix. I use King Arthur Flour All-Purpose Baking Mix Gluten Free and it works great!
  • Here’s the link to my crust recipe for Blackberry Slab Pie.
  • Add fresh mushrooms, celery, green beans or diced red potatoes or any veggie you like.
  • If you don’t want to bother with making crust, just serve over hot biscuits. YUM!!
  • To be perfectly honest, I ran out of time to make a crust so I used a store bought one and it was perfectly fine. I want to try this with puff pastry next time!
  • The filling can be made up to a day ahead and then reheated before assembling and baking the pies.
  • If you’ve never used leeks, make sure you slice off the ends, then slice them lengthwise and rinse well. They can have dirt and sand deep in the layers.

What’s your favorite Comfort Food??

Chicken Pot Pie