Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie is a perfect winter comfort meal to warm your heart and soul. My revision of a long time favorite uses a rotisserie chicken which shortens the preparation time. You could take the meat off the bones the night before to make it a quicker meal to pull together on a busy night after you arrive home. If you have leftover turkey, this would be a perfect use for it so it doesn’t go to waste. Allow the kids to assist you unless you really need that kitchen therapy one-on-one time. That would probably be me, although I love to have the little ones help when they are here.
The Prep:
Chicken:
To make it easier, buy a rotisserie chicken and remove meat from the carcass. (You could save it and use it to make a broth for a soup to make at a later time.) Chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Potatoes and Eggs:
Scrub/dice potato. I’ve used russet or red potatoes.ย Place in a medium saucepan with the 3 eggs. Cover with water, about an inch over the top layer. Once it begins to boil, let it cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Take eggs out and rinse with cool water until easy to handle. Roll egg on a dish towel to crack shell around the middle and peel. Slice and dice eggs.
Mixed Veggies:
Cook in microwave according to package directions; drain. You can just put it on top of the potatoes already in theย colander since they’ll all be added together.
Broth:
In the microwave, heat 3 cups of water. Add in the Better than Bouillon Chicken Base, about 1 tablespoon. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.
Dough:
Remove sheet of puff pastry to a lightly floured board once thawed. Roll it out large enough to cover 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan or two other smaller pans.
The Good Stuff:
In a Dutch Oven or large saucepan, melt butter over LOW heat. Add in the flour and stir until its consistency is smooth. Slowly add the hot broth and milk. Whisk constantly over MED-LOW heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the salt, pepper and dried thyme. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Remove from heat and mix in the prepped additions.
Mix it up!
Add in the veggies, potatoes and diced eggs to the contents of the pot on the stove. Oh, and don’t forget the diced chicken! Stir to equally distrubute and coat them with that lusciously savory sauce.
In today’s version, I split it into 2 prepped(sprayed) foil containers; one to give away and one to keep. My brother was under the weather so I did the sisterly thing and brought him and his sweet wife some comfort food to aid the healing process.ย (There are older pics I left below to show it in a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan.) For these smaller versions, I just cut the rolled out puff pastry dough into two equal parts.ย Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Place them on a large lined rimmed baking sheet.
Bake Time:
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes,or a bit longer if needed. Crust should be puffy and golden with the pot pie mixture bubbling around the sides.
Let’s eat!
If you have any left over, it makes a great meal to take to work to warm up for lunch and make your colleagues a bit jealous. This Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie will definitely become one of your family’s favorite standby meals for a winter’s day. If you are single, make this on a weekend and you will have a great dinner anytime when you come home from working those extensive hours and don’t have the time or energy to fix a quality meal.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1- rotisserie chicken ( or leftover turkey)
- 2 large red-skinned or russet potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 3 large hard-cooked eggs
- 1- 16 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/2 c butter (1 stick )
- 1/2 c flour
- 3 c warmed chicken broth ( I use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.)
- 1 c milk
- 1 t Kosher salt
- 1-1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 t dried thyme OR 1-1/2 t fresh thyme leaves(preferred)
- 1 sheet of thawed Puff Pastry rolled to about a 13" x 9" x 2" rectangle OR 2- refrigerated pie crusts OR make your own ๐
Instructions
- Remove chicken from carcass. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook frozen mixed vegetables in microwave according to package directions.
- Cut potatoes into small cubes.
- Place potatoes and 3 large eggs in medium saucepan. Cover with water, about an inch over the top of the eggs. Once the water begins to boil, let it cook for 10 minutes. Drain in colander.
- Separately, run cool water over the eggs until they are easy to handle. Roll them gently on a clean dish towel to crack the middle area. Peel and rinse off. If you have an egg slicer, slice the peeled egg once and rotate 90ยฐ and slice again. Otherwise, slice and dice the eggs using a knife.
- Heat 3 cups of water in microwave. Add 1 tablespoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base; stir to dissolve.
- In a Dutch Oven or large saucepan, melt butter over LOW heat.
- Add flour and stir to a smooth consistency. Cook an additional minute, whisking constantly.
- Slowly add hot broth and milk. Continue to cook over MEDIUM heat, stirring with a whisk.
- Once mixture is thickened and bubbly, stir in salt, pepper and thyme. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more bouillon for more chicken flavor or even some poultry seasoning, if you desire.
- Remove pot from heat. Add in the potatoes, sliced and diced eggs, mixed vegetables along with the diced rotisserie chicken. Stir to combine and equally distribute the ingredients.
- Spoon filling into a 13' x 9" x 2" prepared pan OR into two smaller casserole dishes.
- On a floured surface, roll Puff Pastry into a rectangle a little bit bigger than the length and width of the pan you are using. If using refrigerated pie crusts, place one on top of the other and roll out to similar needed dimensions.
- Place dough on top of filling. Tuck under and crimp, if desired, along the inside of the pan. Cut at least 4-6 slits in the top for stem to escape.
- Place serving dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage while baking.
- Bake at 400ยฐF for about 30 minutes or until top is golden and filling is bubbling along the sides.
OLDER PICS (with larger pan):
Spoon it into large casserole dish or a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. OMG! Can’t you just smell that savory mix of ingredients almost ready to eat? It won’t belong now…. Be patient a little longer!
I hadย a few sheetsย of puff pastry sheets left over from our party thawed in the fridge, so I thought it would be worth a try here. So I rolled the dough out so it would extend past the edges of the dish. I folded under the excess and crimped it next to the edges of the pan. Cut slits in the top to vent steam.ย In the past, ย I’ve used the refrigerated pie crusts or you could just make your own.
About 25 minutes later, dinner is ready.ย Its crust should be golden brown. The puff pastry worked great. However, I ย may have covered the edges up with foil for a few more minutes hoping the center portion of the dough would rise more.ย There’s always the next time…and there will be a next time for sure. Winter has just started.
Making with leftover turkey!!!