When I was a kid pot pies were a go to dinner for nights that Mom worked late. Mom’s go to recipe was…Swanson. We always had a few in the freezer – turkey pot pies and beef pot pies. Pot pies are a comfort food; basically stew wrapped in pie crust. (Personal note: for me, pot pies are double crust. None of that just crust on the top stuff. And I am not a fan of large pan pot pies. I like individual pot pies, the crust to filling rations are better.)
There are a whole lot of frozen pot pies out there. I’m not a fan. Most are loaded with excess sodium – salt. And sugars and chemicals and artificial flavors. Sure they’re convenient, but at a cost.
A good pot pie requires a good pie crust. I know, I get it, a lot of people have pie crust phobia, but really pie crust is easy. Especially if you have a food processor, and if you’re reading food blogs chances are pretty good you have one. Of course you can still use the pastry cutter, or the two forks methods, but the food processor makes pie crust easy peasy. I like an all butter crust, and I use my food processor. But, you have to make time to make the dough and let it chill. I’ve made pot pies in less than a half hour (not counting final baking time), but I used pre-made dough and pre-made chicken broth and pre-cooked and cut chicken.
Pot Pie Hack #1: if you don’t have the time (or the inclination) to make pie crust – and I’ll admit to this myself – Pillsbury makes a decent pie crust (in the refrigerator section of your grocer, usually near the butter). I make four pot pies at a time, and two boxes of their pre-made crusts works for tops and bottoms, though I do roll the dough out a little to thin it. Sure, it has some chemicals, but overall it’s not so bad (I have developed rationalization to an art form.)
Pot Pie Hack #2: Chicken Stock – again, if you don’t want to make your own, or don’t have the time you can use store bought. When I am well planned I’ll throw a whole chicken into a pot with water, celery, carrots and onions and cook it off, then let it cool and de-bone it, put it in a zip lock bag for pot pies another day. Then, not only do I have the stock from the chicken, but the chicken itself. Win/win. BUT, when I’m stuck for a meal I can make do. I prefer bone broth, for the extra flavor.
Pot Pie Hack #3: The Chicken. You can use any chicken (except chicken wings, don’t try to make pot pies with chicken wings). I use chicken from a stock pot, as in Hack #2. I’ve used microwaved chicken breast, oven roasted chicken (breast and thigh), even left over grilled chicken (just not with bbq sauce). AND, for a “quickie” I have used grocery store roasted chicken. Works fine. Let it cool a little, then pull it off the bone and shred or cut it up.
Vegetables. Pot pies usually have vegetables (though my husband won’t eat pot pie with vegetables, so I make him one with just onions). Using frozen vegetables isn’t really a hack. I bet almost everyone uses frozen corn and peas. You might cut up carrots, and some people like little cubes of potato. After you’ve sauteed the onions and added in the chicken, stock, roux and anything else you’re adding, just add in the vegetables right from the freezer, or raw, but cut to small pieces. They’ll cook fully in the oven time, once the pot pie is assembled.
Personal Twist #1: Bacon and bacon fat. I lived for awhile in The South. Tennessee. And, I married a Southerner (also from Tennessee). In The South, bacon is it’s own food group. I always have a jar of bacon fat around. Always. In this recipe I use the fat to saute the onions and garlic, and for making the roux to thicken the gravy. And, since I’m already going to that place…I cook off half a pound of bacon, nice and crispy, and cut that up too. I do my bacon in the oven, on a sheet pan. The fat then pours off easily, and doesn’t have the bits of bacon the frying pan does, so I can pour it off and add it to my jar.
Personal Twist #2: Jalapeno peppers. Spice rules in our house. I dice up a large pepper and throw it (seeds and all) into the pan.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Thick cut bacon baked in oven till crisped then chopped, reserve bacon fat
- 2 tbsp All purpose flour
- 4 cups Chicken shredded and or chunked
- 1 cup Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic more or less for taste
- 2 tbsp Bacon fat or canola oil or any preferred oil
- 3 cups Frozen vegetables or favorite blend
- 32 oz Chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic do not use garlic salt
- 1 tsp Granulated onion do not use onion salt
- 3 tbsp Jalepeno pepper minced optional
- 1 tsp Fresh chopped parsley or dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- pie crusts - frozen or fresh - use 6-9" pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.The bacon: On a large baking pan with a rim (I use a half sheet pan) layer bacon flat (can overlap a bit; it’ll shrink as it bakes). Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until dark brown and crispy. Drain off bacon fat and reserve (what you don’t need for this recipe will keep well in the fridge). When cool, give bacon a coarse chop.In a small sauce pan place 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (or butter, if you don’t have enough bacon fat). Add in the flour and stir to combine over medium high heat. Stir constantly to keep from burning, and cook 5 – 7 minutes until flour is fully incorporated.In a large skillet place 2 tablespoons of bacon fat and heat on medium high. Add in onion and sweat til translucent. Add in minced garlic and stir til fragrant. Add in chicken and chicken broth. Add in roux and stir til it combines with the broth and white wine. It will thicken the “stew” as it cooks. Add in granulated garlic, onion, chopped bacon and vegetables. Add in jalapeños, optional. Stir all to combine. Take off heat and let cool while you line the baking casserole dishes with pie crusts, or cut pie crusts for tops if not lining dishes.Scoop pot pie filling into baking casserole dishes to just under the rim. Cover with top crust and pinch together with bottom crust, or crimp along the dish. Brush tops with egg and sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Using a fork or a sharp knife, poke holes in the tops to vent.Bake at 350°F for 40 – 45 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly.