Chicken Pot Pie
For me, chicken pot pie is a go to for a quick dinner. This is a great thing to keep in my freezer and to have ready to go at a moment’s notice. It is also nice to have something that somebody else besides me will be able to put together and heat. I can give directions which are simple enough to follow for someone who doesn’t cook. What could be easier for them than chicken pot pie with a biscuit topping?
I need to have easy meals ready to go for those days when I just can’t manage. I have a kitchen refrigerator and an old basement refrigerator. Both have freezers, so I have a limited amount of precious freezer space. I have learned to freeze chicken pot pie filling in one gallon freezer bags. I press the filling out flat and into the corners and get rid of as much air as possible. This makes the contents less susceptible to freezer burn and easy to stack in the freezer without wasting space, I also am able to defrost the contents quickly and evenly whenever I want to.
I have never really loved pie crust. I’ll eat it, but I prefer biscuits on top of pot pie filling. Canned biscuits have a long shelf date in the refrigerator. If I think I am not going to make a pot pie before they expire, I heat them and serve them with jam for a weekend breakfast treat. Luckily for me, canned biscuits make pot pie much easier. I have used regular, buttermilk, and the flaky biscuits. Although all of them are good with pot pie, I personally prefer the flaky biscuits over the other varieties. I have used the name brand, the store brand, and the fancy organic versions. I divide each biscuit in half, pulling the top from the bottom. This gives me double the amount of biscuits from each can, and the biscuits cook through more easily. I can cover a 9×13 baking dish with no problem.
This is a recipe that can be customized easily. I have made a vegetable pot pie by sauteing about a pound of mixed Cremini, Shiitake and Porcini mushrooms in place of the chicken. Roasted broccoli or lightly steamed cauliflower also work well. I’ve both added cheese and made a Southwestern version. Homemade chicken pot pie filling is infinitely better than the filling of most store bought pot pies. I make mine chock full of vegetables and chicken, and it is so much less salty. Chicken pot pie done this way is a great way to have a frozen dinner ready to go!
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Makes two 9×13 pies OR four 9 inch round or square pies
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion, diced
- 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms (optional)
- 5-6 cups Cooked Chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (2-3 lbs uncooked)
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Half and Half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
- 5 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables, defrosted I used a combination of peas, carrots, green beans, corn, and lima beans
- 12 Tablespoons Butter
- 12 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Biscuit Topping
- 2 Cans Refrigerated Biscuits, regular or jumbo Southern style, buttermilk or flaky
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium low heat, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Add diced onions (and mushrooms if you are using them) and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked through and all liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
- Leave onions (or onion/mushroom mixture) in the pan or set aside in a bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Make a roux by stirring in the flour and cooking until incorporated. Once combined, cook, stirring often for 3 minutes.
- Slowly add in the broth, half and half, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often until the mixture comes to a low simmer. Simmer for about a minute while the filling reaches its full thickness.
- Add the chicken, vegetables and onion. Stir until incorporated.
Option #1 Assemble One or Both Pies While The Filling is Hot
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Put half of filling in a baking dish (You can either do the same with the other half or freeze and use Option #2).
- Open can and separate biscuits. Pull them in half separating the top from the bottom of each biscuit.
- Cover the top of the filling evenly with the biscuit halves.
- Put pie in the middle of the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Option #2 Freeze Filling, Defrost and Assemble
- Freeze filling for one pie in a bag or container that can be microwaved.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Open can and separate biscuits. Pull them in half separating the top from the bottom of each biscuit. Set aside.
- Microwave pot pie filling until very hot. Put filling in baking dish.
- Cover the top of the filling evenly with the biscuit halves.
- Put pie in the middle of the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.