This is a scratch chicken pot pie recipe that started as Ina Garten's, but kind of evolved a bit over time. My old notes are annoying to read because I was mostly complaining about the cream and butter. I need to write some new notes and update the photo, but this is still my go-to scratch chicken pot pie recipe.
Pastry
I've changed the pastry and now use a double crust all-butter recipe. You can use a half cup of shortening in place of the butter for extra flakiness, or just use all butter.
Chicken and Filling
The recipe has instructions for baking bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, but you can use any kind of chicken you like. Baking with the bone-in and skin on gives you slightly more flavorful meat. A rotisserie chicken could also work, but they seem smaller these days so you might need two. And then there's the sauce. It has a lot of butter and a little cream. I haven't tried to lighten it yet, but I did dial down the salt a bit. Stocks vary so much in saltiness the only way to really nail it is to taste it at the end and adjust, but I've kept Ina's idea of using stock plus bouillion. I've never needed to add a full 2 teaspoons of salt as in the original, but it's probably because I start with a saltier broth.
Chicken Pot Pie Size
The original recipe just called for large ovenproof bowls, so you can improvise a bit. For four large pies you'll need big wide bowls that hold at least 2 cups.
Recipe
Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour 340 grams
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt you can use less if you want
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 sticks unsalted butter cold and cut into chunks
- ½ cup ice water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Chicken
- 3 large split one-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Filling
- 5 cups chicken stock preferably homemade (Kitchen Basics)
- 2 teaspoons “Better Than Bouillon" stock base
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups yellow onions chopped (2 onions)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups medium-diced carrots blanched for 2 minutes
- 2 cups frozen green beans
- 1 ½ cups frozen small whole onions used fewer
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
- More salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar and in the bowl of a food processor (or just use a mixing bowl if doing by hand).
- Add half of the chunks of butter and pulse until mixture is coarse. Add remaining butter and pulse just until it is broken up with some larger pea size chunks here and there.Add vinegar to the mixture and pulse to mix, then add half the water and pulse. Add the remaining water a tablespoon at time until mixture holds together when you pinch it. Most likely you will use it all.
- Empty onto a pastry mat and pat into one big mass. Divide in half and wrap halves separately. Chill for at least and hour or until ready to use.
Chicken
- Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
Filling
- In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock along with the bouillion. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onions for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually stir the hot chicken stock into the flour mixture. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute,stirring, until thick.
- Lastly, add the heavy cream, cubed chicken, carrots, peas or green beans, pearl onions and parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to ½-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
- Place pies on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Makes 4 giant servings
Carole says
I made your chicken pot pie recipe last night. However, I poached the chicken with some fresh herbs and peppercorns. And, Imade 1 large rather than 4 individual pies.
Lot of work but worth the effort.
Louise says
Last night I fully intended to make Chicken Posole for dinner. Somehow I took a turn and made The Pastry Queen's All Sold Out Chicken Pot Pie. It was delicious, but I'm so glad my husband has no idea how much butter he ate.
Aga says
Yeeees! That's the only recipe I ever use! Nothing can beat this one! I even posted it on my blog some time ago... 🙂
Louise says
We had a "premium" brand of pot pies. They were large, like "adult" size, with chunks of chicken. They were Myers brand, which makes me think they were Pennsylvania Dutch. 😉
Kath says
The chicken pot pies my friend routinely beg me to make are a version of Rebecca Rather's recipe from the Pastry Queen cookbook. They are awesome! I've had them in her restaurant in Fredericksburg, Texas and the homemade version using her recipe is just as good. I tend to vary the vegetables based on what I have and just dice them up and add at the saute stage. I usually omit the cream and use skim milk or evap milk if I think it needs to thin out and to make it a little healthier. The hot sauce is key to this and adds just the right amount of flavor but doesn't make it spicy - so don't be scared of it.
All-Sold Out Chicken Pot Pies
Adapted from Rebecca Rather’s “The Pastry Queen”
Yield: 6 servings
Filling:
•3 tablespoons unsalted butter
•1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
•1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 red bell pepper, diced
•8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
•1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 purchased cooked rotisserie chicken or 1 whole stewed chicken, cooled
•8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
•1 (8-ounce) package frozen peas (optional)
Sauce:
•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
•1 cup all-purpose flour
•2 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
•1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
•Dash of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
•Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Crust:
•1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•10 ounces chilled cream cheese
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
•1 large egg
1. To Make The Filling: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and potato; sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and sauté about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the crushed red pepper and add salt and pepper to taste.
2. While the vegetables are sautéing, skin the chicken, pull the meat off the bones, and shred the meat or cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
3. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl, and add enough water to cover. Cover the dish and microwave on high power about 10 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain thoroughly.
4. Stir the beans, peas, and chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.
5. To Make The Sauce: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Add the cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and white pepper to taste.
6. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine.
7. Fill individual 1 1/4-cup capacity oven-safe bowls three-quarters of the way to the top with the creamed chicken filling.
8. To Make The Crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.
9. Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls–mine are about 4 inches across–and cut out dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.
briarrose says
Yummy!
johngl says
Forgive me, but pot pie flavored cookies or cupcakes just don't do it for me.
Yes, yes, I'm kidding. I love pot pies. 🙂
And I'm sorry I haven't dropped in for a while.
Katrina says
I've seen Ina make this on her show and it does certainly look rich and more like a splurge. I'm with you though, eat a simple healthy dinner so there's room for dessert! 😉
Ronda says
(still loves frozen pot pies!...) :-/
For awhile you could get potato topped pot pies, those were my FAVE!
While that recipe looks good, it seems like overkill. You can't possibly need that much fat for it to taste good! Pot pie is pretty much my go-to comfort food, on a cold winter night! Yum!
Emily says
I loved the frozen pot pies when I was a kid too! I think Swanson made them? Mmm. 🙂
Nancy says
I hate to admit it, but I used to love those frozen chicken pot pies when I was a kid! They weren't overly filling, but definitely hit the spot on a cold winter night! As much as I'd like to try to make this recipe, I don't think I would like the heaviness of it. It looks beautiful though!
Sue says
Your chicken pot pie looks fantastic! I'm with you though on the richness. It's a no holds barred splurge, and for day to day eating you've gotta get in more healthy nutrition per calorie. Aren't you glad you tried it though?
Louise says
The chefs follow the philosophy of "Fat is Flavor". While that's certainly true, I'm with you and would rather tone it down a little. My sister had this chicken pot pie recently at a friend's house and while she liked it, she said it was just too much.
Lisa Ernst says
Ina Garten is a master of great tasting food and I've definitely observed that one of her tricks is not holding back at all on the fat. I agree that, while this would be a fantastic thing to eat (I'd make mine vegetarian) I'd rather eat a healthy meal and save my splurge for a great dessert. I do miss the pot pies I ate as a kid, and I'm sure this one was fun to try once.
Carole says
I am making chicken breastd for dinner tonight. I will make a few extra so I have chicken for the pot pie. Think I will make my life easy and use a prepared crust. May make I large rather than 4 individual. I may even use less oniopns than you did.