This Chicken Pot Pie from Scratch is an adaptation of Marshall Field’s classic recipe. With a slow-cooked chicken, a creamy vegetable filling, and a handmade pie crust, this pot pie is the ultimate comfort food.
VIDEO: How to Make Chicken Pot Pie
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Classic chicken pot pie
Classic chicken pot pie
This chicken pot pie recipe is also known as “Mrs. Herring’s Chicken Pot Pie” in Marshall Field’s Cookbook by the famous Chicago Marshall Fields department store. First introduced to customers in 1890, it was this Marshall’s chicken pot pie that brought the dish into our national consciousness.
How to make chicken pot pie
This pot pie recipe is a weekend affair – which means put some music on and set aside some time! Your time will be well rewarded. There’s nothing like tasting homemade chicken pot pie from scratch.
Here are the basic steps:
- Cook chicken: Start with a whole, raw chicken. Simmer with water and vegetables until the meat is done. For your pie, pull all of the meat off the bones, then add the leftover bones back to the pot. This makes a rich chicken broth for your recipe.
- Make the pie crust: If you’re intimidated by pie crusts, fear not! This crust is made in the food processor and is easy to roll out. (You can also skip making the pie crust and just use puff pastry instead.)
- make filling: This pot pie filling is a mix of classic vegetables (carrots, celery, and onions) with a sauce thickened with a little flour and milk.
- Alltogether: Portion the filling into individual ramekins and cover with a cake base lid. Bake until the dough is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
make-ahead steps
If you don’t want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen, you can certainly break this down into steps.
- The chicken can be cooked and shredded and the broth simmered up to three days ahead. (You can also cook it in the pressure cooker using this method.)
- The pie crust can also be made up to two days in advance and kept refrigerated. When you’re ready to assemble the pot pies, simply let them sit on the counter for a few minutes to take the chill out and make them easier to roll out.
- You can also make the entire filling ahead of time and even portion it into the ramekins a day or so ahead of time. Keep them covered and chilled. Just wait until you’re done with the pie crust topper until you’re ready to bake.
A thick and creamy filling
The ideal consistency for your filling when you cook it on the stovetop and before you add it to the pot pies should be creamy and thickened. It will thicken a bit in the oven as the pot pies bake, so it should be light at this point less thick than the finished dish.
If your filling seems soupy at this point, like cream, simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it seems like it’s not thickening as quickly as you’d like, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the sauce, stir in a tablespoon or two of flour until there are no lumps left, and then beat this mixture into the pan.
If it looks like the filling has thickened to a lot and it starts to seem stiff, then stir in a little broth or water to thin it out again.
Leftover pot pie
Pot pie is best served right away, especially because that’s when the pastry crust is at its crispest and flaky. If you have leftovers, you can definitely reheat them – they’re delicious! Just know that the pie crust will soften and not crisp up again.
More Pot Pie Recipes!
- Vegetable Pot Pie
- Cajun turkey pot pie
- Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
- Easy chicken pot pie
Chicken pot pie
ingredients
- For the chicken and broth:
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1 (3 1/2 pounds) whole chicken
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1 carrot
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1 stick of celery
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1 small onion, halved
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2 teaspoons of salt
- For the cake base:
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (it’s best to chill the cubes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using)
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1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
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3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- For the chicken pot pie filling:
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
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3 carrots, thinly sliced diagonally
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3 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally
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1/2 cup all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 cups milk
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1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
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1/4 cup dry sherry
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3/4 cup green peas, frozen or fresh
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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2 teaspoons of salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the egg wash:
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1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
special equipment
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food processor
method
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Boil the chicken
Combine the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, and salt in a large stockpot. Add cold water until just covered and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for 15 minutes. While the chicken cools, continue cooking the remaining water and vegetables in the saucepan.
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Shred the chicken
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, scrape off as much of the meat as possible. Place meat on a plate, set aside.
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Prepare the chicken broth
Return the chicken bones to the stockpot and continue cooking over high heat until the broth is reduced to a liter or a liter and a half.
Set aside 2 1/2 cups of the broth for this recipe. You can refrigerate the remainder and store it for another purpose.
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Prepare the pie crust dough
Mix flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse 5 times to combine. Add the shortening and pulse a few more times until the batter resembles a coarse cornmeal with a few pea-sized knobs of butter.
Slowly pour in the ice water, tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition until the batter sticks together when you squeeze something between your fingers.
Empty the food processor onto a clean surface. Form into a ball with your hands, then flatten the ball into a disk. Dust with a little flour, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling.
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Prepare the filling
In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, a minute longer.
Stir in 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. stir in milk. Reduce heat to minimum and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and creamy.
Add the chicken, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and season if necessary. Divide the warm filling among six 10-ounce ramekins.
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Prepare the crust
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface a little less than a centimeter thick.
Cut into 6 rounds, slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins. Place a round of dough on top of each pot pie filling.
Fold the excess pastry under you and press the pastry against the rim of the ramekins with the tines of a fork. Cut a 1-inch hole in each individual pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash to each cake.
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Bake
Line a baking sheet with foil, place the pies on the baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.
Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
