All Natural Chicken Pot Pie Recipes

CLASSIC CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water); do not overmix.
• Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables.
• Slowly add broth, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peas. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in chicken and parsley. Pour filling into a 2-quart baking dish.
• On a floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Place dough over dish and fold overhang inward while pinching to crimp edge. Cut vents in dough. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around edge, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

ALL-NATURAL CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9-inch square casserole dish.
• Sift the 3 cups flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together into a large mixing bowl. Cut the vegetable shortening and cold butter into the flour mixture with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some chunks the size of peas. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. Work the dough as little as possible; this is the key to a super light and flaky crust. After half the water has been incorporated, watch closely, as mixture will come together suddenly. Once it begins to stick together, gather into a ball, divide into halves, and roll each ball out to 1/4-inch thickness, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Press one of the dough portions into the prepared casserole dish, covering bottom and sides completely.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken breasts in the hot skillet until evenly browned on both sides; cut into small cubes and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Cook the carrots, celery, potatoes, peas, and about half the diced onion in the drippings from the chicken until the carrots soften; add to the bowl with the chicken.
• Increase the heat to medium. Add the water to the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; pour into a cup and set aside.
• Melt the butter in the skillet. Cook and stir the remaining onion and the garlic in the melted butter until the onions begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour over the onion mixture and stir to evenly coat. Pour the reserved liquid over the onion mixture. Stir the chicken base, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme into the mixture. Cook and stir until the mixture has reduced into a thick gravy; pour over the chicken mixture in the mixing bowl. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
• Pour the mixture over the crust in the casserole dish. Top with the remaining portion of dough and pinch the edges together to seal the edges. Cut a few slits into the top to vent.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the gravy bubbles through the slits, about 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before serving, 10 to 15 minutes.

CLASSIC CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Roll 1 pie crust into 13-inch square. Ease into ungreased 9-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Pour chicken mixture into crust-lined dish.
• Roll remaining pie crust into 11-inch square. Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter. Place square over chicken mixture. Arrange cutouts on top crust. Turn edges of pie crust under; flute edge.
• Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

LIGHT CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Pulse the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter, one piece at a time, pulsing until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Separate the egg; refrigerate the egg white. Beat the egg yolk and milk in a bowl, then add to the food processor, pulsing until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake directly on the oven rack until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly, then peel and break into small pieces.
• Bring the chicken broth, carrots and thyme to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook 2 minutes; cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the milk, celery, potato pieces and the warm broth mixture and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, yogurt, peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the filling to a 2-quart casserole dish. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/2 inch thick and slightly larger than the dish. Beat the reserved egg white in a bowl; brush over the dough and season with salt and pepper. Press the dough against the sides of the dish. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• For the chicken: Start by putting the chicken in a pot and covering it with water. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, and then remove the chicken from the pot. Set the chicken aside to cool briefly.
• Shred the chicken with 2 forks, reserving the bones. For the stock, return the bones to the pot and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the bones from the pot and discard.
• For the pot pie: When you're ready to use the Thyme Pastry, remove from the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter to thaw slightly, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Begin by finely dicing the vegetables. Slice the celery stalks into narrow strips, then slice in the other direction to create a fine dice. Repeat this process with the carrots, and the onion.
• Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, a couple of minutes.
• Add 2 cups of the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken, and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
• Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine if using. The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy. Next, add the peas.
• Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it's adequately salted!
• Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan or small casserole dish.
• Roll out the pastry so that it's 1 inch larger than the pan. Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top. Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal. I don't worry about making a perfect edge on my chicken pot pie because a) it looks more rustic and b) I'm lazy, hungry and I want to eat.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• To freeze: Allow the filling to cool completely then top with the crust. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
• To cook from frozen: Remove the pot pie from the freezer, brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water or cream) and place directly in a 375-degree F oven and bake until lightly browned and bubbly, 30 to 45 minutes.
• For the thyme pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using pastry cutter, gradually work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.
• Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. (Dividing the dough in half results in two pretty generous pie crusts. If you desire a thinner crust, you may divide the dough into three crusts.)
• Place in a large plastic bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin. This makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough and place the plastic bags in the freezer. I like to make several batches of pie crust at a time so I always have a crust ready to go.
• For recipes other than this pot pie, remove from the bag and place on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough from the center, outward. Be gentle and patient; it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.
• If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen it and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes; no back-and-forth rolling.
• Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the pie crust and carefully lay it over a pie pan. Using your hand, lightly form the crust so that it fits inside the pan and overlaps the edges.
• Because it's quick and easy, I just tuck the excess dough under itself above the rim. Then you can apply whatever decorative effects that you like to the edge. Or you can leave it plain if you'd like! Just tell yourself it's more rustic that way!
• Fill the pie crust with filling and bake according to the pie recipe's directions. Or, for a pre-baked crust, fill with pie weights (or pinto beans placed on aluminum foil) and bake at 400 degrees F until golden, about 10 minutes.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Add cubed butter and shortening and process until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. With machine running, add 1/2 cup ice water and process, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry, until dough forms. Form dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 12x9 1/2" rectangle, about 1/4" thick. Place on prepared sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• For chicken:
• Preheat oven to 400°. Place carrots, onion, and leek on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large pot fitted with a lid. Add chicken, breast side down, celery, thyme sprigs, wine, salt, and peppercorns to pot. Add 8 cups water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and poach chicken until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool. Reserve broth. Shred meat; discard skin and bones. Set a large strainer over another pot. Strain broth into clean pot. Stir in tomato paste. Return to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 5 cups, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover chicken and broth separately; keep chilled. Rewarm broth before continuing.
• For filling:
• Place dried chanterelles in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup hot water. Let steep for 10 minutes; set aside. Reserve soaking liquid. Cook carrots in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium bowl. Add peas to saucepan; cook for 1 minute; transfer to bowl with carrots. Add onions to saucepan and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside; let cool. Peel onions.
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Whisk in herbs and warm broth from chicken. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chanterelles to saucepan. Pour in soaking liquid, leaving sediment behind. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Set a strainer over another large pot. Strain broth into pot; discard solids. Add chicken, carrots, peas, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon filling into an 11x8x2" or 2 1/2-quart round baking dish. (Add pie bird, if using.) Top with pastry, pinching edges to seal. If not using pie bird, cut a 1" slit in center of crust for steam to vent. Brush pastry with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, if desired.
• Place pot pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes.