Chicken Pot Pie Recipe for Two (2024)

FAQs

Should you prebake the bottom crust of a chicken pot pie? ›

But for a classic pot pie, both a top and bottom crust need to be present. Pot pie filling tends to include a solid amount of liquid, which is why executive chef Brian Jupiter of Frontier and Ina Mae Tavern urges you to "pre-bake the bottom crust. [If you don't,] the bottom gets soggy and not crisp.

The sauce in chicken pot pie is typically a gravy. I use a seasoned white gravy made from scratch with flavor-building ingredients, chicken broth, and half-and-half.

Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White

During that time, the egg cooks into a glossy layer that will later prevent the filling from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Unfortunately, the filling relies on flour for thickening. However, you can substitute it to make it truly gluten free a few ways. You can dissolve cornstarch in the COLD milk before pouring it into the skillet. You can use a one-for-one gluten free flour substitution, or you can use arrowroot!

Our new recipe for a fresh-baked comfort food favorite, with slow-simmered chicken, peas, carrots, celery, potatoes, and onions in a creamy sauce topped with flaky pastry crust. Comes with your choice of hand-rolled Buttermilk Biscuits or Corn Muffins.

A watery potpie may be the result of not cooking the filling for long enough or adding too much liquid to the filling. Another possible reason for the pie being watery is if you add watery vegetables like spinach or green beans to the filling rather than potatoes or carrots, which soak up liquid.

The protein from the egg white creates a seal between the crust and the filling and prevents the filling from making the crust too soggy. I've recently started doing this extra step and while it's not 100% necessary, it does add a little extra reassurance to keep your pie crust firmer.

Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

If the chicken and/or the vegetables aren't partially cooked and thoroughly drained, they'll exude moisture during baking and thin out the filling. Be sure that the assembled filling is the consistency you like before covering and baking the pie.

If you are pre-baking a store-bought frozen packaged crust, I recommend following the directions on the package for how to pre-bake that particular crust. Most instructions will have you defrost the crust, prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, and bake at 375°F to 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

You've got lots of options and they all work really well; dried beans, uncooked rice, popcorn kernels, steel balls, sugar, glass marbles, metal chain, or smaller pie pan. As a pro alternative, use perforated baking equipment (eg. tart ring, baking mat) that let the air circulate without the need of using pie weights.

Prebake your crust

“Whenever it's possible, I prebake the crust,” says cookbook author and famed baker Dorie Greenspan. “It's such a good way to keep the bottom crisp and tasty.” This works best with single-crust pies, like Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Chess Pie.

Otherwise you can absolutely use frozen and then defrosted puff pastry or pie dough. I only gave my pot pie a top crust, because I feel like the bottom crust always gets soggy. If you do want to add a bottom crust, I suggest blind baking it.

You don't have to blind bake your pie shell without the filling, but it does help give you a crispier crust. Another option is to place the pie on the lowest rack in the oven. The bottom will cook faster, the filling won't soak into the crust, and the top can bake more slowly so it doesn't burn.