I sometimes consider cooking a chicken or turkey not for the first meal, but the homemade pot pie that will be made with the leftover meat. I love homemade chicken pot pie and can think of few meals that I enjoy better.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Diced Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots and Celery
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Filling
Pie Pastry Rolled Out for a 9 Inch Deep Pie Dish
Rolled Out Pie Pastry in a 9 Inch Deep Pie Dish
Chicken Pot Pie Filling Ladled Into Pie Dish
Chicken Pot Pie with Egg Wash Waiting to be Baked
Whether you are using leftover chicken from a chicken roasted at home, a store bought rotisserie chicken, leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or even chicken breasts baked in the oven, the results are the same. A pot pie is easy to make, requires little in preparation and is one of those one dish meals that is completely satisfying. In comparison to the alternative, a frozen pot pie from the frozen food section of the grocery store is a pale imitation.
Ingredients:
- 3 Cups of Diced Leftover Chicken
- 1 Cup of Diced Boiled Potatoes
- 1 Cup of Diced Boiled Carrots
- 1 Cup of Diced Boiled Celery
- 2 Cups of Gravy (see Giblet Gravy, or if you must a jar of chicken gravy from the grocery store)
- Salt & Black Pepper to Taste
- 1 Egg or a ¼ Cup of Milk
- Pie Pastry (2 Shells per Box, found in the Dairy section of the grocery store)
Instructions:
- Dice a cup each of potatoes, celery and carrots (The size of each ingredients will depend on your personal preference. For me, the celery is diced thin and the carrots and potatoes diced to the length of one finger joint).
- In a pot of boiling salted water add the diced potatoes, carrots and celery. Boil for about seven minutes.
- Remove the pie pastry from the refrigerator.
- While the vegetables are boiling, remove the meat from the chicken carcass (using both white and dark meat – personal preference as always) and diced the meat to the desired size. Save the carcass and use to make stock for soup.
- Add the diced chicken to a large mixing bowl.
- When the vegetables have boiled for about seven minutes, drain off the water and add them to the large bowl.
- Pour in the gravy and then carefully mix all of the ingredients. You do not want to break up the potatoes in the event that they are fully cooked.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle a little flour on the counter top and roll out the bottom pie pastry shell. For reasons beyond my comprehension, pie shells needs to be rolled a little to fit a 9 inch deep dish pie dish.
- Placed the rolled out pie shell into the pie dish.
- Ladle the pot pie mixture onto the bottom pie shell. It is fine if the mixture is higher than the edge of pie dish.
- Repeat the same activity of slightly rolling out the second pie shell.
- Place the second rolled out pie shell on top of the pot pie mixture and then fold / roll in the bottom and top pie shells together forming a rolled seal. You can crimp the pie shells together, but why waste the excess shell when crimping?
- Cut a few holes into the top pie shell for steam to escape while the pot pie is baking.
- Using either and egg wash or milk, brush the top of the pot pie with the egg was or milk to give the pot pie a nice golden appearance when it is finished baking.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the oven is heated, place the pot pie on the middle rack and bake for 40 minutes. You can prepare the pot pie earlier in the day, but may need an additional 5 minutes to bake if taking it out of the refrigerator and straight to the oven.
- Once the pot pie is finished baking, let it stand and cool for 10 minutes.
- Slice the pot pie as you would a pie and serve.
Although this recipe is for a Chicken Pot Pie, the same ingredients and steps are used in making a Turkey Pot Pie.
Baked Homemade Chicken Pot Pie