There is nothing like a nourishing bowl of Chicken Pot Pie after a drizzly day. This pie doesn’t mess around – big chunks of chicken and vegetables in a savory broth hide underneath an herb enriched crust that is crispy on top and tender in the center. Grab your favorite spoon and forget the chill in the air. If you have a rotisserie chicken on hand, this comes together in a big hurry. You can also go the longer route and make your own chicken and broth – you choose -they are both delicious. If you are watching your calorie intake, this is remarkably light with almost zero fat in the filling and just a smidgen of butter in the crust. You’d never know it though, because it it totally satisfying. Come on along and check it out….
Let’s pretend for a second you are cooking your own chicken. This all begins with cooking him up and making your broth. No time? Not in the mood? Don’t let that stop you – just lay your hands on about 4 cups of cooked, cubed chicken and you are good to go for the next step. The recipe below covers both options.
We do require vegetables, however. You can choose whatever suits you, which is part of the charm of recipes like this – the more you make it your own the better it will be. I picked onions, mushrooms, peas, carrots, celery, turnips (no, I’m not kidding and they are quite delicious), and Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukon Golds are a good choice because they tend not to mush up like other, more starchy varieties.
A little secret here is to make sure you saute the onions and mushrooms separately before getting much further down the road. Both of their flavors are much better if given a chance to sweat it out in a skillet before adding to the broth.
Eventually everybody gets together and simmered in chicken broth until tender, then thickened with a slurry made of cornstarch and broth or water. While this is going on, you can be picking our your favorite ramekins or a 13×9 inch oven-proof dish for the baking segment. We got crazy and used all different kinds just for the heck of it.
When your filling is in it’s assigned dish, it’s time to add your topping. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and paprika is always nice. And some fresh herbs on top wouldn’t hurt a thing.
Wasn’t that easy? All that’s left is popping them into the oven and baking until bubbly and the crust is cooked through. Covering the baking pan with parchment or foil is a good option here since these guys have a tendency to get rambunctious and boil over.
You know what I’m going to say next……dive in!!
Hope you enjoy this – it’s such fun to make and to add your own spin so that it’s just right for you. xoxoxox
Chicken Pot Pie with Herbed Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Ingredients
- STOCK AND CHICKEN
- 1 whole chicken skinned and quartered (or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces) OR Approximately 4 cups of rotisserie or poached chicken pieces, cut into large chunks)
- 1 fresh herb bundle tie together a variety of fresh herbs with string – oregano, marjoram, sage, thyme, savory, rosemary, etc. Go easy on the rosemary though –it’s very strong.
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 head garlic split in half lengthwise
- 4 stalks celery include inner leaves, cut into 4 inch pieces
- 4 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces Note: You will need 8 cups of canned chicken stock if you are not making your own)
- FILLING
- 4 cups cooked chicken pieces cut into large chunks (from recipe above)
- 4-6 cups chicken broth either from recipe above or supermarket broth
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 stalks of celery cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 turnips peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 large onion cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 pound mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- TOPPING
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs of your choice try marjoram, oregano, basil, some sage, or a combination of as many as you like
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
Instructions
- IF YOU ARE COOKING YOUR OWN CHICKEN AND MAKING HOMEMADE BROTH:
- Please Note: If you are cooking your own chicken, the prep time listed below does not count the time necessary for that, so add another hour if you are cooking your own chicken and making your own broth.
- In a large stockpot, combine chicken and all other ingredients noted in the ‘Stock and Chicken’ section. Add enough cold water to cover.
- Bring to a low boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Allow to cook until chicken is cooked through. White meat should register 165 degrees and dark meat 175 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- When chicken is cooked, remove from pot and set aside to cool. Strain off solids, and reserve broth in a large bowl.
- When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut into large chunks.
- FILLING
- In the large pot you used to cook the chicken (if you made your own) sauté mushrooms and onions until caramelized over medium high heat. You can sauté them both together or separately, but make sure to sauté until all the liquid from the mushrooms is evaporated.
- Heat the reserved broth to a boil, then add the carrots, celery, turnips and potatoes as listed under the ‘Filling’ section of the recipe. Reduce heat to simmer, add the sautéed mushrooms and onion, and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Increase heat to a boil. Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ½ cup water. Stir into boiling broth mixture and cook 1-2 minutes or until thickened. If mixture is not thick enough to suit you, make an additional slurry and try adding half of it at a time until you reach the thickness you prefer.
- Stir chicken and peas into thickened broth mixture.
- Pour into greased 13x9 inch baking dish, or other similar sized dish of your choice. You can also use small ramekins or any other cute little oven proof bowls you have laying around.
- TOPPING
- To make topping: Mix together flour, salt, and baking soda and herbs. Cut butter into flour mixture until butter resembles the size of small peas.
- Add buttermilk and mix just until all ingredients are moistened. Scoop by spoonfuls or use an ice cream scoop to cover to cover the filling.
- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and paprika.
- Place baking dish on a foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the oven.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.