The Ultimate Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Crust

A delicious way to use up leftover roast chicken is to make a hot and comforting Chicken Pot Pie. The filling can be prepared in advance with any vegetables you have on hand, but I like to use carrots, celery, shiitake mushrooms, fresh thyme, a handful of green peas and sliced leeks sautéed in butter until soft and tender. A rich thick creamy sauce brings the whole dish together, so it's important to taste for seasoning as you go along, adjusting the flavour to suit your palate. The final flourish is laying a rolled out sheet of thyme-spiked homemade buttery pastry on top of the casserole and brushing it with a little milk, using any extra pastry to decorate the top. Baked for about an hour at 400°F and you have a bubbling homemade chicken pot pie capped with a handsome crown of golden pastry.

Decorated with leaves, berries and little flowers using leftover dough

Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 8

2 lb cooked chicken
1 tsp salt
2 cups finely sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups finely sliced celery
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 leek, washed and finely sliced, white part only
4 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp white or black pepper and kosher salt

Pastry: makes one 9-inch crust
1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
Milk, for brushing


Remove the skin from the chicken and separate the meat from the bones and tear into bite-size pieces then place in a large bowl along with the frozen peas and finely chopped celery. Place the carrots in a small pot of boiling water and cook over medium-high heat, covered for 3 minutes. Drain the carrots and add to the chicken. Place half the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the leeks until soft, about 5-6 minutes, than add to the chicken mixture.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat, and cook the flour and pepper, stirring, for one minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, bring to a boil and cook stirring often, until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour over the chicken mixture, season with salt and pepper, then allow to cool for 30 minutes. 

In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse a few seconds at a time until the butter is the size of peas. Add the water and vinegar, and pulse again until the dough just begins to form. Add more water, if needed. Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a discs with your hands. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

With the rack in the lowest position, preheat the oven to 400°F, and spoon the chicken filling into a 9-inch pie dish. On a floured work surface, roll out the chilled disc of dough large enough to cover the pie, about 10 to 11-inches, and lay it over the pie, then crimp the edges. With any leftover dough, it's rather festive to create leaves, berries and fanciful shapes to decorate the top. Just wet the backs before affixing to the crown of the pie, then brush the whole top with a little milk. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.