Description
Hearty chicken pot pie brings pure comfort straight from Grandma’s kitchen to your dinner table. Flaky pastry cradles tender chicken and garden vegetables in a creamy sauce that feels like a warm hug.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 3½ lb whole broiler fryer chicken
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 medium onion
- 1 bay leaf
Sauce and Seasoning:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons salt (for sauce)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1¼ teaspoons black pepper (for sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust
Instructions
- Submerge the whole chicken in a large Dutch oven with water, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, celery, onion, and bay leaf. Heat the liquid to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Lower the temperature, cover the pot, and simmer for exactly 60 minutes until the chicken becomes fork-tender.
- Extract the chicken from the broth and allow it to cool completely. Discard the cooked vegetables and bay leaf.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, strip away the skin and bones. Chop the meat into bite-sized 1-inch pieces.
- Skim the accumulated fat from the surface of the remaining broth. Bring the liquid back to a vigorous boil.
- Add 16 oz of frozen mixed vegetables and 2 cubed potatoes to the broth. Boil for 8 minutes until the vegetables reach tender consistency.
- Remove the vegetables and potatoes using a slotted spoon. Measure exactly 3 cups of broth and set aside.
- Melt ½ cup unsalted butter in the Dutch oven over low heat. Whisk in ½ cup flour, stirring continuously for 1 minute to create a smooth roux.
- Slowly pour the reserved 3 cups broth and 1 cup milk into the roux. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles.
- Season the sauce with 1½ tsp salt, 1¼ tsp pepper, and ¼ tsp dried thyme.
- Fold the chopped chicken, cooked vegetables, potatoes, and 2 sliced hard-boiled eggs into the sauce gently.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Transfer the filling into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Roll the refrigerated pie crust on a floured surface into a 15×11-inch rectangle. Drape the crust over the filling, crimping the edges against the dish sides.
- Cut 4-5 small steam vents across the top of the crust using a sharp knife.
- Bake for exactly 20 minutes until the crust turns golden brown and the filling begins to bubble around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow the pot pie to rest for 10 minutes before serving to help the filling set.
Notes
- For the most tender chicken, use a gentle simmer and avoid boiling vigorously during the initial cooking stage.
- Homemade chicken broth adds deeper flavor, but store-bought works perfectly fine when time is short.
- Let the pot pie rest after baking to allow the filling to set and become less runny, making it easier to serve neat portions.
- Swap out frozen mixed vegetables for seasonal fresh vegetables like carrots, peas, and green beans for a fresher taste and texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 28 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 418 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 504 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg