Once upon a time I used to think a recipe was a mere combination of ingredients. I now understand it’s so much more than that. The way you combine those ingredients and how you are able to pack in the flavour into your dishes makes all the difference in the world.
There are so many things that can go wrong in this seemingly simple dish. It can be too runny or too thick (the easiest thing to fix, by the way.) The chicken can be too tough and dry. How about that pasty raw flour taste that distinguishes a poorly made chicken pot pie from a really good one? None of that here – this recipe and technique results in a perfect pot pie every time!
You can use pie dough or drop biscuits, but I opted out for the store-bough puff pastry. Crunchy, flaky and delicious, this shortcut move could easily rival even the best biscuits!
And this recipe is a powerful one to have in your cooking arsenal. It’s easy to make ahead, exceptionally delicious, pleases virtually everyone and is affordable too! Even with my most fanciest dishes I get conflicting opinions (that’s ok, if you are a food blogger/professional and you are not making dishes that get split reviews – you are not trying hard enough!!) But this dish – everyone loves it and cannot stop complimenting it!
On very short notice, we were expecting company the next day. Way back when, I used to think expecting guests meant running to the store to buy an expensive cut of meat or something along those lines, cook it last minute while stressing and not spending any time with my guests. Not anymore. I now see, virtually any dish, properly executed – can make a wonderful choice for a dinner party.
This dish was perfect to please our guests, while being exceptionally easy to make even with very little notice. I could take the chicken out of the freezer without even defrosting it and simmer it in some chicken stock. The next day, the whole thing could be assembled in 20 minutes with 45-60 minutes of unattended baking. Perfect!
Hope you give this a try and please do share your feedback and pictures with me!
Combine all of the stock ingredients in a large stock pot. The liquid should just barely cover the chicken, add a bit more stock if needed. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Strain the stock into a heat resistant container. Cool the chicken and shred it once it's cool enough to touch. Use stock and chicken right away or store in the fridge, separately. if you are planning to make your chicken pot pie at a later time.
Discard the bones, bay leaf and cooked vegetables (or snack on the boiled carrots and celery like I do!)
To make the chicken pot pie, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onions and cook for about 10 minutes or so until they are starting to become tender and softened; do not brown them. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies - you are now making a roux. Cook the veggies and flour for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly, to cook off the raw flour taste; it's ok to have the flour turn slightly gold but do not let it burn or brown too much. Adjust the heat to medium-low if needed. It's important to cook the flour for at least 3 minutes which will prevent your pot pie from having that pasty raw flour taste. Slowly add about a third of your prepared stock while stirring aggressively into a thick sauce and working out any lumps. Slowly add the remainder of the stock, while stirring. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes to thicken slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If desired, you can always thin out the sauce with more stock.
Stir in half and half or cream. Fold in the peas, shredded chicken and fresh thyme leaves, if using. Taste again and adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed. Transfer the mixture into 9x13 casserole dish.
At this point - you can cool the mixture, cover and transfer to the fridge. This way you can cook it later or even the next day.
Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the edges of the casserole pan. Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and lay it on top of your chicken casserole. Pinch the pastry to adhere to the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the casserole for 10-15 minutes while your oven is preheating (chilling improves the structure of the puff pastry.) Preheat the oven to 375.
Brush the entire surface of the chilled puff pastry with the egg wash and place into the preheated oven. Bake 45-60 minutes until the filling is bubbling out and the puff pastry is a beautiful gold colour. (If you chilled the casserole in step 3 you will need the whole 60 minutes, if the mixture was warm - it will be ready in closer to 45 minutes.)
Be sure to let the baked casserole cool for at least 15 minutes as the filling will be very hot. Enjoy!
You can use water instead of chicken stock. However, boiling your chicken pieces in chicken stock will result in a much more flavourful dish.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all of the stock ingredients in a large stock pot. The liquid should just barely cover the chicken, add a bit more stock if needed. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Strain the stock into a heat resistant container. Cool the chicken and shred it once it's cool enough to touch. Use stock and chicken right away or store in the fridge, separately. if you are planning to make your chicken pot pie at a later time.
Discard the bones, bay leaf and cooked vegetables (or snack on the boiled carrots and celery like I do!)
To make the chicken pot pie, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onions and cook for about 10 minutes or so until they are starting to become tender and softened; do not brown them. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies - you are now making a roux. Cook the veggies and flour for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly, to cook off the raw flour taste; it's ok to have the flour turn slightly gold but do not let it burn or brown too much. Adjust the heat to medium-low if needed. It's important to cook the flour for at least 3 minutes which will prevent your pot pie from having that pasty raw flour taste. Slowly add about a third of your prepared stock while stirring aggressively into a thick sauce and working out any lumps. Slowly add the remainder of the stock, while stirring. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes to thicken slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If desired, you can always thin out the sauce with more stock.
Stir in half and half or cream. Fold in the peas, shredded chicken and fresh thyme leaves, if using. Taste again and adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed. Transfer the mixture into 9x13 casserole dish.
At this point - you can cool the mixture, cover and transfer to the fridge. This way you can cook it later or even the next day.
Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the edges of the casserole pan. Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and lay it on top of your chicken casserole. Pinch the pastry to adhere to the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the casserole for 10-15 minutes while your oven is preheating (chilling improves the structure of the puff pastry.) Preheat the oven to 375.
Brush the entire surface of the chilled puff pastry with the egg wash and place into the preheated oven. Bake 45-60 minutes until the filling is bubbling out and the puff pastry is a beautiful gold colour. (If you chilled the casserole in step 3 you will need the whole 60 minutes, if the mixture was warm - it will be ready in closer to 45 minutes.)
Be sure to let the baked casserole cool for at least 15 minutes as the filling will be very hot. Enjoy!
You can use water instead of chicken stock. However, boiling your chicken pieces in chicken stock will result in a much more flavourful dish.
