Chicken Pot Pie

Saturday 6 February 2010



One of the things we loved best about Roast Dinners when I was growing up was . . . that we knew there would be a lovely pot pie waiting at the end of it all . . . kind of like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . . . sure you love that rainbow, but it's the pot of gold that always gets you in the end . . .



It was a sure thing if we had had a roast beef dinner, or chicken, or turkey . . . after my mother had served it up once the day of the roast, a second time sliced cold with some vegetables, a third time possibly as a soup or a hash . . . the rest would get made into a pot pie.



Oh how we loved her pot pies. Her crust was fabulously rich and flakey, the insides thick and chock full of vegetables, bits of meat and tasty gravy . . . I suppose it was a great way of making a little bit of meat go a long way . . .



Even now if we go to visit she is sure to break one of her pot pies out of the freezer as a real treat. Once, when I was about 13, she had to go away for the weekend. She had left a pot pie for me to heat up along with some oven chips and vegetables for our Saturday night supper. To this day I still get accused of taking the largest piece for myself . . . and truth is, I probably did!!!



You don't really need any leftover meat to make a delicious pot pie though . . . I make a rather tasty one using rich and moist chicken thighs, which are just loaded with flavour. Cheap and easy, this always goes down a real treat with anyone I serve it to . . .



It doesn't taste cheap and easy. It's wonderfully rich and comforting. Good eats all round. I like to serve it with some tasty mashed potatoes and a vegetable on the side. One trick for making really tasty mash is to whip some herb and garlic boursin cheese into them. Oh yummo! Probably not too good for the waistline . . . but sometimes you just got to do what you just got to do . . .

Besides . . . I have a bad cold. I need comforting . . .



*Chicken Pot Pie*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Pot pies are very popular in my house. Normally I use leftover roast, but today I decided to use some chicken thighs I had on hand. Delicious comfort food that is not only economical but very easy and quick to throw together.

2 TBS oil
2 TBS plain flour
500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium cooking onion, peeled and diced small
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large rib of celery, cut into small dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 chicken stock cubes
1 1/2 cups hot water
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried savoury
100g frozen peas
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley.
1.2 of a (17 ounce) packet of ready roll puff pastry
1 beaten egg yolk

Trim the chicken, discarding any fat. Cut into small cubes. Toss with the flour. Add the oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium heat. Add the floured chicken and brown, stirring until it is cooked all the way through, and no pink remains. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook, slowly, stirring from time to time until almost tender. Crumble the stock cubes over all and stir in the hot water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and parsley. Place into a pie dish. Top with the puff pastry. Crimp the edges and vent. Brush with some beaten egg yolk.

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Place pie on a baking tray and bake in the heated oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and browned.

Serve hot with some mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your own choosing. Delicious!

18 comments

  1. Great post! I very much enjoyed reading it and I love pot pie. You put the dish in perspective very well.

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  2. We definitely do not wait for leftovers to make pot pie-it's a family favorite. I make them individually so there is no argument over who got more crust! Hope you're feeling better soon
    xoxo Pattie

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  3. Love pot pie -- but have never made it with leftovers! Yours looks delicious!

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  4. Pot pies...well loved here as well. This looks like an outstanding version of a beloved favorite.

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  5. Mmmmmm - i can imagine this would fix a cold up quick smart. I've been looking for a good pot pie recipe that doesn't bulk the filling out with bacon, ham or leeks, your post fits the bill with me ;0)

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  6. When my Mum first visited the US in 1975 she returned with the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie, it had a biscuit topping rather than pastry, but I have to say we loved it! Haven't made it for ages, but you have inspired me to have another go at it.

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  7. Oh I do love Pot Pie and I ma going to make this. I haven't been really good about doing a recipe each week...does one count? That lovely lemon chicken! Yum! But I am going to make this this coming week.

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  8. Oh I love chicken pot pie! It's been forever since I last had it! I need to bookmark this recipe. Thanks!

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  9. I'm definitely going to try your pot pie. I've made them all through the years but I've never settled on a really good recipe! I always try it a different way! This looks perfect! Thanks! ♥

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  10. Your photography is good - the pie looks really appealing

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  11. I love pot pie too, and even made some cornish pasties a few months ago! This looks wonderful marie! :)

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  12. Marie, how excited am I to have come across your Blog. I am Brit living in Boston, MA. Each year on Boxing Day I celebrate with an anuual dinner. This year I am serving my American friends a full on dinner menu of British Fare! I always remembered my mum's chicken pot pie and came across your recipe. It is going to be added to my menu. Any other fabulous English dish thoughts would be great????

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  13. Such a beautiful website... thank you so much for taking the time to do so much for others like me. I'm from Oxford in England, now living in Northern Vermont... it's peaceful here and we have lots of snow and blue skies!
    I've been reading your site and love your recipes, my Mum and Nanna would be quite impressed with all you have done! You have a way with words... it's just lovely. :)
    Well done and... cheers! Regards, Debra.

    P.s. By the way... our daughter is making your Chicken Pie recipe right now as I write this... we're all looking forward to dinner this evening. :)

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  14. Thanks so much for your lovely comment Debra! I really appreciate it. I do put a lot of work into this site and it's nice to know that it does not go un-noticed! I hope you enjoyed the chicken pie!

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  15. Hi there, love the photos and narrative -- it was inspirational, so we gave it a go. We used your recipe as a base, but made a couple of modifications...
    - I cooked the boneless/skinless thighs in a bit of butter and pepper, without flouring. I cooled them down, removed remaing fat and gross stuff, and cut into cubes. I also saved the pan for the upcoming veggie stage. (The idea here is to getthe flavor from the chicken but still be able to remove visible fat and gross stuff...)
    - added a few sliced medium sized mushrooms
    - substituted about a third of the water with heavy cream (10%)
    - added about a tsp of corn starch (blended into a slurry with cold water) to help thicken the sauce (and make up for the lack of flouring above...)
    - added about a tsp of dry mustard

    It is a great dish that leaves a lot of room for experimentation/preference tweaking!

    Thanks so much!!

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  16. So happy I inspired you Martin and the end result was enjoyed! It sounds delicious!

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