Do you love chicken pot pie like I do? It’s not that hard to make from scratch. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Dutch oven, it can be done in any oven safe pot, you’ll just have to use option #2 to cook your crust. And don’t worry if you are not a pie crust maker, also like me. I’ve gotcha covered. PS: It’s got a quarter cup of heavy cream – not a lot in a recipe this size, but feel free to modify with whole milk instead (I’m sure reduced fat milk would also work).
Dutch Oven Pot Pie (Print Recipe)
Note: This recipe calls for frozen puff pastry. I could not find it in my local grocery store so I substituted a rolled fresh pie crust from the refrigerator section, near the refrigerator biscuits. I provide both options below.
1 (9 ½ by 9 inch) sheet puff pastry, thawed OR **store bought pie crust (see note below)
4 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and cut into ½ inch pieces, washed thoroughly
4 carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
Salt and pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 2 teaspoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 egg lightly beaten
1 pound asparagus, cut on bias into 1 inch lengths or broccoli as preferred
1 cup of riced cauliflower (optional)
1 cup frozen baby peas
Hot sauce
**Note for Option 2 Ready-made Pie Crust:
I used rolled fresh pie dough from the refrigerated section of grocery store. The one I found had no hydrogenated fats and was made from real ingredients – if you prefer to whip up your own favorite pie crust that would work great too. **My cast iron Dutch oven lid was not the right setup for what this recipe called for, so as an alternative, I simply placed my pie dough into a glass pie plate, poked a few holes in it with a fork and baked it alongside my Dutch oven for about 15 minutes.
Instructions for Puff Pastry:
Cut sheet of parchment paper to match outline of Dutch oven lid and place on flat surface. Roll puff pastry sheet into 15 by 11 inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. With either a pizza cutter or knife, cut pastry widthwise into 10 strips 1 ½ inches wide.
Space half the strips evenly across the parchment circle. To weave strips: Fold back every other strip almost completely. Lay additional strips in opposite direction, repeat with remaining strips to create lattice pattern. Or layer the strips however you like – get creative! Trim edges around circle. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare filling.
Filling:
Adjust oven rack to accommodate your Dutch oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On top of stove, melt butter in Dutch oven. Add leeks, carrots, and about a half teaspoonful of salt and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
Stir in flour, garlic, and tomato paste.
Slowly stir in broth while stirring to smooth out lumps. Stir in cream, soy sauce, and bay leaves. Stir in raw chicken (cut into 1 inch pieces), return to simmer, turn off heat.
For Option 1 Puff Pastry Crust:
Cover Dutch oven with inverted lid and place parchment paper with pastry on lid. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt.
Transfer pot to oven and bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, rotating pot halfway through baking.
Remove pot from oven. Transfer parchment with pastry to wire rack. Remove lid and discard bay leaves. Stir your desired vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) into filling and return to oven for 5 minutes. Stir in frozen peas right before serving.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Set pastry on top of filling and serve with hot sauce to taste.
For Option 2 Pie Crust:
Unroll pie crust and place in glass pie dish, brush with egg, sprinkle with salt, and bake alongside filling for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove and cut wedges using a knife or pizza cutter. Set wedges on top of filling in serving bowls. Enjoy!