What's for Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

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Yesterday afternoon, because it was Pi Day, I decided that I wanted to make a pie inspired meal. Because let's face it... it's a lot easier than making a Pi inspired meal.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, and I had to work with ingredients I already had at home.

All in all, both the Chicken Pot Pie and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie turned out great.

Here's what I used to make my Chicken Pot Pie:

• 1-2 Boneless Chicken Breast(s)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste
• Paprika, to taste
• Onion powder, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Chili powder, to taste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Thyme, to taste
• Parsley, to taste
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of chicken broth [homemade recipe below]
• 1/2 cup of 1% milk
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables [mine had peas, corn, carrots, and beans]
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• Non-stick cooking spray

I know the ingredient list sounds very daunting, but trust me, the top half of the ingredients is for the chicken portion. It's actually not too difficult to make.

To put my Chicken Pot Pie together, this is what I did:

1. Start off with your chicken. Cut your boneless chicken into tiny bite size pieces. I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, thyme, and parsley. Spray your pot [so the chicken doesn't stick] and the seasoned chicken with non-stick cooking spray. Cook over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through.
2. When the chicken is almost cooked through, in a deep skillet, melt your butter over low heat. When the butter is melted, add in your flour and whisk to combine [and ensure there are no lumps]. At this point I add a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes as well.
3. After a few minutes of it cooking, add in your chicken broth. Continuously whisk throughout to make sure there are no lumps! Next add in your milk... and whisk! This part gives that nice creamy milk color we all love so much in chicken pot pie... without the fatness/heaviness of cream, half and half or anything of that sorts!
4. At this point, after a few minutes, my sauce/filling still wasn't thickening as I'd like, so what I did was: I combined 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water [enough to dissolve the cornstarch]. Pour this milky mixture into your sauce, turn the heat to high for a few minutes and whisk!. This is basically the same way you would thicken corn soup. Make sure you continuously whisk, especially with the heat on high at this point, to be certain there are no lumps.
5. Once your sauce/filling has thickened, add in your frozen vegetables [they will soften in the sauce and even more so in the oven] and your cooked chicken. Mix everything together.
6. Spray your baking dish [I used about a nine-inch round baking pan] with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in your filling/sauce mixture. Don't fill the pan too much. The filling will bubble and you don't want the crust to be soggy because of the filling. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.
7. For the puff pastry topping. You could either just cut a circle and make a crust that way. Don't forget to cut a few slits in the top to allow for some steam to escape! I wanted to make a lattice top crust for mine, so I cut my puff pastry into [thin] strips. If you don't know how to make a lattice top crust, I tried my best to explain down below... or you can just Google it to find an explanation with a video/image.
8. Whichever top crust method you choose, don't forget to brush on an egg wash on top to help you get the nice golden brown color on top.
9. In a preheated 400 degree oven, bake your Chicken Pot Pie for about 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on it: your filling is already cooked -- all you are waiting for is the puff pastry to bake [and be nice and golden brown].

Here's a look at the lattice top.
Do you see how they criss-cross over one another?

To make a lattice top crust: Cut your pastry into strips. Line the top of your pie dish with strips heading in one direction. Now fold back every other strip half way. In a perpendicular direction [or just turn the pan for convenience], add in another row of pastry strips that you cut. Now, take the strips that you folded back, and unfold them over the strips you layered below. Repeat the process on the other half. Confusing much? It's much easier than it sounds!  Like I said, I tried my best to explain down, but you can just Google it to find an explanation with a video/image.

To make my homemade chicken broth, what I do is: In a pot, I add wings and bones of chicken [basically pieces of the chicken that are mainly bone], some frozen mixed vegetables, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ginger. Fill the pot about 3/4ths of the way with water. Turn the heat on high and let the broth come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover your pot, and let it simmer for about 2 hours. At that point, strain your broth.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

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