The Art of Making a Perfect Chicken Pot Pie: A Guide to Mastering the Crust and Filling

When it comes to making a delicious chicken pot pie, the key to success lies in the crust. If you have a very moist, saucy filling, your crust is going to capsize, shrinking and falling beneath the waves like so many sailors of yore. On the other hand, if you try to overcompensate by making a less saucy filling, you're gonna end up with a picture-perfect, very dry pie that will look great on Instagram but very bad on your resume when you're forced to give a job interview in the form of a dinner party.

To avoid these pitfalls, chefs have resorted to using America's Test Kitchen trick: pre-cut and pre-vent crusts. This means cutting the dough into heart shapes or other desired forms, placing them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to help the gluten relax so it doesn't shrink as much during baking. Brushing the whole thing down with a beaten egg and maybe even placing the heart cut-outs back on top in a decorative fashion can add an extra layer of visual appeal. Sprinkling with flaky finishing salt before baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden brown completes the crust-making process.

Now that the crust is secure, it's time to focus on the filling. To achieve a perfectly cooked chicken pot pie, you need to use both white and dark meat. The dark meat responds better to being frozen, so we'll cut it up into bite-sized pieces and prepare it just like the white meat filling - using just a little oil instead of all that butter, sautéing until they have a little bit of color, adding aromatics, and then our stock, letting the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes.

This way, the dark meat gets a chance to braise and break down, becoming tender and flavorful. To thicken, we're reaching for two to three tablespoons of corn starch, which we mix with about half a cup of cold stock. Mixing until completely homogeneous, then slowly streaming into the filling while mixing constantly so it doesn't clump up. We cook that for about three more minutes until the desired consistency is achieved, season to taste, add some parsley, and then set aside to cool.

If you're making these freezer pies, you can either double up your pie crust recipe or use the scraps from the original recipe to cut your little rounds. We want these to be just a little bit larger than our intended serving vessels - I'm going with ramekins - and simply divvy up our filling and top with the crusts, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to three months.

When it comes time to reheat, we're gonna bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes wrapped in foil, then unwrap, brush with a beaten egg, and bake for another 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. This way, the crust stays shatteringly crisp set prettily atop its saucy, flavorful filling.

And now, a special announcement from the BCU. What's up guys? I'm Andrew Ray. And I'm Sohla El-Waylly. Thanksgiving may look a little different this year, so on November 19th, Sohla and I are going live on the BCU channel to teach you how to cook up a special dinner. How special, you ask? Try one of a kind. We use Blue Moon's bright flavor to inspire a range of unique and simple dishes that will liven up any Thanksgiving dinner.

We want you to cook along with us. Tune in, it's gonna be fun. Who knows, you just might learn a thing or two.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(upbeat music)(chill music)- So the idea with this pot pie episodeis that we wanna get maximum utilizationfrom one whole chicken.We're gonna make the stock,we're gonna make a bigold cast iron pot pieand individual freezer pies.First, we're going tobreak down the chickeninto its elemental parts.We're gonna start by removing the spine,placing a little snip atthe base of the breastbone,and flattening it out.Then we're gonna remove the wings.We're gonna place a radialcut at the base of the joints,look for the two bones,run our knife between them, and separate.And of course repeat with the other side.Then we have to separate the chicken legs.There's barely any bone or cartilagebetween the breast and thigh,so they should be veryeasy to cut in between.Then we're gonna start very graphicallytaking off everybody'sskin, but do not discard it.It's got plenty of collagento add to our stock.Then we're gonna removeall the white meat from the breastbone.Simply find the breastboneand begin making shallow cutsdown alongside it untilyou've removed the breast.Repeat with the other sideand you got yourself a chicken carcass,yet another essential buildingblock of a good stock.Then the thigh and drumstick are gettingthe same kind of grossskinless treatment, ugh.To find the joint between thesewe're gonna look for this strip of fat,place a cut right down the center of this,and it will reveal the jointthat you can run your knife inbetween and separate the two.Then to remove the meatfrom the drumstick,we're effectively just gonnascrape it down the bone,again kind of a gross process.Be happy that I don't record audio.The thigh's a very similar story.There's a single bone thatwe need to cut underneathseparating the meat and againreserving all the bones for our stock.Once you have liberated themeat from their bony captorsit's time to start chopping up the meat.I'm just cutting everythinginto bite-sized piecesand keeping the breast meatand leg and thigh meat separatebecause the breast meat is gonna be betterfor our day-of pie, and the dark meatis gonna be better for the freezer pies.Go ahead and refrigerate theseuntil we're ready to use them,for now it's time to make stock.We're gonna want to cutthe spine and carcassdown into more manageable pieces,gather everybody into a big, gory pile,and toss them with a little bitof neutral flavored oillike vegetable or canola.Then we're spreading them out evenlyon a generously greased rackset in in aluminum foil-linedrimmed baking sheetand roasting at 400 degrees Fahrenheitfor about an hour or until deeply brownwhilst we prepare our vegetables.Vegetables are where you can startto be truly creative with your stock.The absolute essentials arecarrots, celery, and onionbut feel free to putyour own spin on thingswith stuff like parsnips,which are going to add abit of earthy sweetness.Turnips are an inoffensive root vegetablethat will help complement the carrots.Maybe even a little bit of woody spice.Leeks bring a very mellowbut slightly more complex onion flavor,a little sweeter in the white partsand a little grassier in the green parts.Fresh lemongrass bringsa lemony, minty flavor to the party.You should most certainlyadd a whole head of garlicchopped in half widthwise,and then maybe the mostoptional ingredient,some fennel fronds, which are gonnabring a root-y, anise-y vibe.Lastly, a tablespoon of whole peppercorns,a few sprigs of fresh parsley,and a few sprigs of fresh thyme,and a bay leaf or twoif that's your thing.And of course our freshlyroasted chicken parts,each one packed full of chicken flavor,none of which will go to wastewhen put a use in a stock.You could of course coverthese guys with waterand slows simmer for anywherefrom four to 24 hours,but you can achieve avery close approximationwith 60 minutes in a pressure cooker,which cooks its contents ata much higher temperatureand extracts their precious flavorsin a fraction of the time.Now we need to release thepressure and drain our stock,but first we have to make every effortto try to creep out our camera guy.I think it's working.Drain this liquid goldand you're good to go.Homemade stock is oneof the essential partsof an amazing chicken pot pie.What's the most important part?That's right, the flakey,buttery pastry crust.We're gonna start by measuring out150 grams of all-purpose flour,tiny whisk together withone teaspoon of kosher saltand one stick or about 113 gramsof refrigerator cold butter.The objective here is to get the butterdown into pea-sized pieces.You can do this with a couple of knives,but that's kind ofreally annoying to do so,so if you have a pastrycutter around the housethat's gonna make quick work of our butterinto tiny little globulesof flaky-making goodness.The next objective here isto add just enough ice waterto make the dough come together.I found that 50 gramsis a good place to startadding a tablespoon or twoat a time as necessary.We're gonna start bybringing things togetherwith a rubber spatulaand eventually using ourhands to massage thingsinto a barely cohesive ball of dough.Take care not to over-knead.That's how you get a tough pie crust.Once it holds its shapewhen pressed together,we're gonna wrap ittightly in plastic wrap,press it into a disk, andrefrigerate for at least one hour.This is both going toallow the gluten to relaxand prevent the butterfrom melting prematurely.If you were fortunate enoughto get a food processorfor your birthday last year,this is the absolute easiestway to make a pie crust.Simply combine the same amountof flour and salt in thebowl of the food processor,affix your shredding disk, andfeed a frozen stick of butterdown through the feed tube.This will shred the butterinto perfect little uniform shredswhich will translate beautifullyinto nice flaky layers in your pie crust.Pour the flour and buttermixture into a large bowl,add the ice water as before,and coax into a cohesive disk of dough.Now that our pie crust is inthe fridge and ready to goit's time to configure our filling.We're gonna start by meltingtwo tablespoons of butter ina 10-inch cast iron skillet.Once nice and sizzly and foamy,we're gonna add our chicken breasts,sauteing for two to three minutesjust until we get some nice color.Then we're gonna fish themout and set them asideand add yet another two tablespoonsof butter to the skillet.That might seem likean awful lot of butterbut we're gonna need itto formulate our sauce.Into the butter goes half a chopped onionthat we're gonna sautefor two to three minutesbefore adding some aromatic vegetables.Chopped carrots, celery, and parsnipsare my personal preference.We're gonna saute those over medium heatfor about five minutes until they softenand just start to pick up a bit of color.Then we're adding a tablespoonof freshly chopped thyme,sauteing for another 30seconds or until fragrant,and then it's time tobegin the thickening.To the skillet we're gonna addfour tablespoons of all-purpose flour,which we're gonna saute togetherfor about one to two minutes.This along with all thebutter is gonna makea sort of makeshift roux.Then optionally, we're gonna deglazewith a quarter cup ofwhite wine or dry sherry.Cook that for about a minuteuntil the alcohol smell wears off,and then it's time to startslowly adding our stock.A little splash at a time at first,mixing until a thick paste forms.We eventually want to addabout two cups of our homemade stock,which is gonna come together to forma thick, velvety, flavorful sauceto which we're gonna add ourpreviously sauteed chickenand any of its accumulated juices.Bring to a simmer, letting itcook for about five minutesuntil the chicken is cooked through.Then it's time to startthe finishing process.A few generous pinches of kosher salt,some freshly ground black pepper.Tasting for seasoning,adjust as necessary.Remember, you can always go forward,you can never go back.It's time to kill the heatand add a few tablespoonsof freshly chopped parsley,half a cup of frozen peas,and a quarter cup of heavy cream.This way the flavor ofthe peas and the parsleywill stay nice and freshand the heavy cream will notsplit in the simmering skillet.Give this one last mix,taste it for seasoning,and then set it aside and keep it coveredwhile we prepare our pie crust.First, we're gonna removeour well-chilled doughdough from the fridgeand generously dust itand our work surfacewith all-purpose flourand begin to bang itout with a rolling pin,whacking repeatedly untilit's about twice it's original size.Then we're gonna start rollinguntil it's around about aneighth of an inch thick,which we're gonna cut into a roundthat we're gonna place on topof our cast iron skillet pot pie.Now, this carries withit a few complications.First off, shrinkage.George Costanza was right,shrinkage is very realand it must be accounted for.If you just grab your pie doughand throw it on top of yourfilling, cut a few vents,brush the whole thing down with egg wash,and throw it in the oven,one of two things is going to happen.If you have a very moist, saucy filling,your crust is going to capsize.It will shrink and fall beneath the waveslike so many sailors of yore.If you try to overcompensateand make a less saucy filling,you're gonna end up with apicture-perfect very dry pie,which is gonna look very good on Instagrambut very bad on your resumewhen you're forced to give a job interviewin the form of a dinner party,which I'm sure has happened atleast once in human history.On the other hand, you couldborrow this amazing trickfrom the folks over atAmerica's Test Kitchen.Their idea is to precutand pre-vent your crust.They don't say to use heartshapes, but I am my own man.Then place your crust in thefridge for at least 30 minutesafter forming to help the gluten relaxso it doesn't shrink as much.Brush the whole thingdown with a beaten egg.Maybe place your heartcut-outs back on topin a decorative fashion.Sprinkle with flaky finishing saltand bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheitfor 10 to 15 minutes untillightly golden brown.Cool completely for 10 to15 minutes on a wire rackand then gently shuffle on topof your completed pot pie fillingand bake for an additional10 minutes at 400until bubbly, golden brown,crisp, and absolutely beautiful.Now there's a pot pie that's as fantasticas it is photogenic.All there is left to do is graba big old spoon and dig in.You'll find that unlike most pot pies,this crust is shatteringly crisp,set prettily atop itssaucy, flavorful filling.It is quite simply the bestchicken pot pie experienceyou will ever experience.But you ask, what about the dark meat?Well, I think that thatresponds better to being frozen.So we're going to cut it upinto the same bite sized piecesand prepare it very much the same wayas the white meat filling,this time using just a little oilinstead of all that butter,sauteing until they havea little bit of color,adding our aromatics and then our stock,and letting the whole thingsimmer for about 20 minutes.This way the dark meat gets a chanceto braise and break down.Then to thicken, instead of the flourwe're reaching for two to threetablespoons of corn starch,which we're gonna mix with abouta half a cup of cold stock.Otherwise the cornstarchis gonna get lumpy.Mix until completely homogenousand then slowly stream into the fillingwhile mixing constantlyso it doesn't clump up.We're gonna cook that forabout three more minutesuntil the desired consistency is achieved,season to taste, add some parsley,and then set aside to cool.If you're making these freezer pies,you can either doubleup your pie crust recipeor use the scraps from the original recipeto cut your little rounds.We want these to bejust a little bit largerthan our intended serving vessels.I'm going with ramekins.And then we're gonnasimply divvy up our fillingand top with the crusts,wrap in plastic wrap,and freeze for up to three months.When it comes time to reheat,we're gonna bake them at400 degrees Fahrenheitfor about 30 minutes wrapped in foil,then unwrap, brush with a beaten egg,and bake for another 20 minutesuntil golden brown and bubbly.So there you have it folks,chicken pot pie that makesuse of the whole chickenand you can taste it in everybite, whatever that means.Hope you guys enjoyed this episode.I hope you try it for yourselves.And now I have a specialannouncement from the BCU.What's up guys? I'm (mutters)I'm not Sohla El-Waylly.What's up guys? I'm Andrew Ray.- And I'm Sohla El-Waylly.- Thanksgiving may look alittle different this year,so on November 19th, Sohla and Iare going live on the BCU channelto teach you how to cookup a special dinner.- How special, you ask? Try one of a kind.We use Blue Moon's bright flavorsto inspire a range ofunique and simple dishesthat will liven up anyThanksgiving dinner. (laughs)- Great.- We use Blue Moon's bright flavorsto inspire a range ofunique and simple dishesthat will liven up anyThanksgiving dinner.- And we want you to cook along with us.- Tune in, it's gonna be fun.- Who knows, you justmight learn a thing or two.(chill music)\n"