Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• Homemade Pie Crust or All Butter Pie Crust (recipe makes 2 crusts — one bottom, one top)
• 1 pound (450 g) skinless boneless chicken breast or thighs, cubed
• 1 cup (~130 g) sliced carrots (about 2 carrots)
• ½ cup (~40 g) sliced celery
• ⅓ cup (5 Tbsp; 71 g) unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup (45 g) chopped yellow onion (½ of a small onion)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ⅓ cup (41 g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1¾ cups (420 mL) chicken broth/stock (reduced sodium recommended)
• ⅔ cup (160 mL) half-and-half
• 1 cup (125 g) frozen peas
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) milk
• Optional: sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish

Instructions

1. Prep the crust — Make your pie crust recipe through step 5 and chill at least 2 hours (overnight is ideal). You'll use both discs.
2. Boil the filling base — In a large pot, combine chicken, carrots, and celery. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Build the gravy — In a large skillet over medium heat, combine butter, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and butter is lightly browning. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, thyme, chicken broth, and half-and-half. Cook and whisk until no flour lumps remain, then simmer over medium-low heat about 10 minutes until very thick. Taste and adjust seasoning (extra thyme is often welcome). Remove from heat.
4. Preheat oven — 425°F (218°C).
5. Roll bottom crust — On a floured surface, roll out one disc of chilled dough into a ~12" circle, turning a quarter turn between rolls. Transfer to a 9" deep-dish pie plate (1.5–2" deep). Smooth the dough in, trim the overhang.
6. Fill — Spoon the chicken-vegetable mixture into the crust. Scatter frozen peas over top. Pour the gravy evenly over the filling.
7. Top crust — Roll out the second disc of dough and lay it over the filling. Trim, crimp, and seal the edges. Cut a few small slits in the top to vent steam. Brush the crust and edges with egg wash.
8. Bake — 32–38 minutes, until the top is deeply golden brown. After 20 minutes, cover the edges with foil or a crust shield to keep them from over-browning.
9. Rest — Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Pre-cooked chicken / leftover turkey — Skip the boiling step; cook carrots and celery with the onion and butter.
• Half-and-half substitutes — Half heavy cream + half whole milk, or all whole milk. Lower-fat milk makes the gravy too thin.
• Puff pastry top — Works but the underside in contact with the filling often turns soggy. Keep the bottom pie crust.
• Biscuit topping alternative — Skip the bottom crust and use biscuit dough on top.
• Filling variations — Try adding corn (frozen or fresh) or other leftover veggies. Turkey works great in place of chicken.
• Make ahead — Filling and gravy can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Pie crust dough keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.
• Leftovers — Keep up to 5 days refrigerated in an airtight container. The filling gets even thicker the next day.
• Top crust turns golden only — Cover the edges with foil after 20 minutes to keep them from burning.

Tags: #recipe #chicken #potpie #pie #comfortfood #american #sundaysupper