Chicken Pot Pie {2 Ways Pie Crust or Biscuit Topping}
Do you take your Chicken Pot Pie topped with pie crust or biscuit topping? That's the great Chicken Pot Pie debate! But with it's combination of rich-and-creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling and golden brown pastry, Chicken Pot Pie is truly tasty comfort in a pan ... no matter how you top it.
Biscuits or pie crust topping? That's the great Chicken Pot Pie debate, right? Having grown up in Vermont, my Mom always made Chicken Pot Pie the commonly Northern way with drop biscuits on top. Only we didn't call the dish Chicken Pot Pie ... we referred to rich-and-creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling topped with biscuits as Chicken and Dumplings.
Now in the South, Chicken and Dumplings is an entirely different thing ... not resembling the biscuit-topped dish of my youth at all. So fast forward about 12 years or so from my Vermont growing up days to the first time I ordered Chicken and Dumplings in a restaurant after having moved to North Carolina ...
I remember very well that I was craving some delicious, creamy comfort food. When I saw homemade Chicken and Dumplings on the menu, I immediately knew that was what I was going to order. I just couldn't wait to dive into a big ol' plateful of tender chicken and vegetables surrounded in rich, creamy sauce ... all topped with those much-anticipated light and fluffy biscuits!
Imagine my surprise when that's not at all what landed in front of me when my dinner arrived at the table.
Nope. What landed in front of me was Southern Chicken and Dumplings ... a dish typically of stewed chicken in a creamy sauce {minus the vegetables of Chicken Pot Pie} mixed with rolled pastry 'ribbons' reminiscent of short, wide egg noodles. Hmmm, not what I was expecting at all.
Now, don't get me wrong ... my Southern Chicken and Dumplings was quite delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. I have simply learned that in the South, if Chicken Pot Pie is what you're craving ... order Chicken Pie!
Because Chicken Pie in the South = rich-and-creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling topped with pie crust topping, like this:
So whichever side of the fence you fall on in the great Chicken Pot Pie debate ... biscuits or pie crust on top ... I've got you covered in this post. Because I'm sharing how to make it both ways. And regardless of the topping of choice, they both start with the same great creamy filling.
For classic Chicken Pot Pie, the filling is prepared in three steps ... all which occur separately, but in the same pot. {Which I'm going out on a limb to take a wild guess that that's how the name Chicken Pot Pie came to be. But don't quote me on that ... 'cause it's truly just a wild guess.}
For the filling, first you simmer chicken until tender and then remove it from the pot and shred it. Next, in the same pot, you saute onion, carrots, and celery ... adding the vegetables to the shredded chicken when done ... and throwing in some green peas and parsley. Finally, you make a classic white sauce ... again, in the same pot ... and mix the sauce with the chicken and vegetables.
The result?
A totally tasty, totally rich-and-creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling so good, it'll leave you weak in the knees.
For biscuit topping, whip up a quick buttermilk biscuit dough, roll it out, and cut eight or so biscuit rounds ...
But if pie crust topping is more your style, simply whip up and roll out pie crust dough into a rectangle sized to fit your baking dish ...
Lay the pie crust over the warm Chicken Pot Pie filling, cut vent slits in the top, and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is beautifully browned ...
No matter how you top it.
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Yield: 8-10 Servings
Chicken Pot Pie {2 Ways Pie Crust or Biscuit Topping}
Do you take your Chicken Pot Pie topped with pie crust or biscuit topping? That's the great Chicken Pot Pie debate! But with it's combination of rich-and-creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling and golden brown pastry, Chicken Pot Pie is truly tasty comfort in a pan ... no matter how you top it.
prep time: 30 Mcook time: 1 H & 10 Mtotal time: 1 H & 40 M
ingredients:
For the Filling:
- Pie Crust OR Biscuit Topping {see recipes below, or use prepared store-bought pie crust dough}
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken {breasts, thighs, or a combination of both}
- 1 (15 oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth + a little of the chicken cooking liquid to equal 2 c.
- 2 T. canola oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in rounds
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 4 T. unsalted butter
- 1/2 c. + 1 T. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 3/4 c. frozen peas, thawed
- 3 T. chopped fresh parsley
For a Buttermilk Biscuit Topping:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 8 T. (1/2 c.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 c. buttermilk
For a Pie Crust Topping:
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 8 T. (1/2 c.) cold unsalted butter
- 4 T. shortening, chilled
- 3 to 4 T. ice water
instructions:
How to cook Chicken Pot Pie {2 Ways Pie Crust or Biscuit Topping}
Prepare the Filling:
- Make the pie crust or biscuit topping dough and refrigerate until pot pie filling is ready.
- Place chicken in a saucepan or Dutch oven; add water to just cover. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a bowl to cool slightly and reserve cooking liquid {to add to the chicken broth to make it equal 2 cups}.
- In the same {now-empty} pan as the chicken was cooked, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; saute until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
- While vegetables cook, use two forks or your hands to shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return shredded chicken to bowl and add the vegetables, once cooked.
- In the same {now-empty} pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking frequently, for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, milk, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour sauce over chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in peas and parsley. Taste filling and add salt and pepper, if needed. (**At this point, the filling may be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to two months. Reheat filling before topping with desired crust and then baking.)
- Pour filling into a 13x9" baking dish and top with pie crust or biscuit topping, as desired. Bake at 400 degrees until filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before serving.
For a Buttermilk Biscuit Topping:
- Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add butter and cut into flour with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse cornmeal. {Or, pulse all ingredients 6 to 7 times in a food processor.} Add buttermilk and mix until just barely combined.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thick. Use a 3-inch pastry cutter or round cookie cutter to cut 8 biscuit rounds. Place on a lightly floured plate or baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until pot pie filling is ready.
- Arrange biscuit rounds on top of warm filling. Bake as directed above.
For a Pie Crust Topping:
- Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add butter; cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter or 2 knives. Add shortening and continue to cut in until mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse cornmeal. {Or, pulse all ingredients about 6 or 7 times in a food processor.}
- Sprinkle mixture with 3 tablespoons ice water; fold in with a rubber spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 more tablespoon ice water if needed. Shape dough into a ball and flatten into a 5-inch wide disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- When pot pie filling is ready, roll dough out to a 15x11" rectangle about 1/8" thick. Lay dough over pot pie filling, trimming to a 1/2" overhang. Tuck overhanging dough into and alongside the edge of the baking dish.
- Cut 4 vent slits into the top of the crust. Bake as directed above.
Adapted from The Best Recipe by the Editors of COOK'S ILLUSTRATED magazine
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