Our Favorite Pot Pie Recipe with a Homemade Buttery Crust + Pie Crust Tips

One of our favorite dinners to make with leftover chicken is homemade pot pie. Who can resist that flakey crust or that creamy filling? It's also quite versatile because you can add whatever vegetables and spices suit you. 

Today, I wanted to share my go-to recipe for pot pie and crust. (And if you don't feel making a crust from scratch is for you, just use a store-bought pie crust and skip directly to the pot pie part!)

Pie Crust - makes top and bottom crusts

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 and 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 egg, with yolk and white separated 
• Ice water as needed (I tend to use at least 1/2 a cup)

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or knife to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Don't overdo it, as the bits of butter are what will make the crust flakey. The butter should be approximately pea-size, and the mixture should resemble coarse crumbs at this stage.
3. Beat the egg yolk and about 1/4 of the white together and save the rest of the white for later. Add the beaten part and about 1/4 cup of ice water (without the ice) to the butter/flour mixture.
4. Stir until it just comes together. It should stick together when you press it. You might need to add more water - I often use 1/2 cup or more in total, but it partly depends on your flour and the humidity level. Pie crusts are picky that way!
5. Sprinkle flour on a clean surface and roll out half the dough (see my tips below on rolling out pie dough). Place in greased pie pan. See if the other half of the dough needs more ice water and roll that out too. If you're keeping the crusts for later, cover them lightly with plastic wrap and stick them in the fridge.

Pot Pie

• 1 cup carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup mixed vegetables, such as corn, peas, celery or onion
• 1/2 lb to 1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup milk or heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• Your choice of spices, such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, onion powder, Italian seasoning, etc.

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Melt your butter in a pot over medium heat. Add any vegetables that need time to soften, like celery, carrots, and/or onion. Saute them until they cut easily with a wooden spoon. This usually takes around five to seven minutes.
3. You will now make the roux. Either remove the vegetables or tilt the pan so only the butter pools on one side. Add the flour and whisk it into the butter, trying to keep the vegtables out so you don't get lumps.
4. Gradually add the milk, whisking it in after each addition. Do the same thing with the broth.
5. Add any spices you are using and cook everything over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Stir every few minutes to prevent the bottom from burning.
6. Once the sauce resembles a thick pot pie filling, pour it into the pie crust in your pie pan. Seal the edges of the top crust over the bottom one by pressing it with a fork all around. Use a basting brush to brush the egg white over the top and cut slits in the top of the crust so the steam can escape.
7. Bake the pie for 15 minutes and remove from oven to cover the edges with foil to prevent too much browning. Bake for another 12-15 minutes. After you remove it, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before you serve it.

Tips on Making Perfect Pie Crust

Making pie dough might feel intimidating, but don't let the dough scare you! The key to flakey crusts is plenty of patience. 

What Does it Mean to "Cut in the Butter"?

Cutting the butter into the flour mixture is a fairly common baking technique when making biscuits and pie crusts. It isn't difficult, even if you have never done it before. Cut your butter into tablespoon-size slices and add a few at a time to your flour mixture. Use a knife, fork, or pastry cutter to cut the pieces until they are approximately pea-size and mix it up every so often so the pieces of butter continue to be coated with the flour mixture.

How Do I Prevent Sticking?

Silicone mats have been life-changing for my pie dough ventures. You'll still need extra flour, but you can pick up the mats and turn them over instead of carefully unpeeling the dough from your countertop and hoping it doesn't rip. 

Make a little "sandwich" by layering one silicone mat, the pie crust, and a second silicone mat on your counter. Of course, ensure the pie crust is well-floured on both top and bottom first.

Rolling should be done in several small stages. Roll it out a little, then carefully lift up the mats and add more flour to any spots that feel even slightly sticky - both top and bottom. Now roll a little more and add more flour. Keep going until the crust is the right size for your pie pans. Rolling makes this type of dough stickier, which is why it's so important to add flour as you go. Otherwise, you might find yourself with a sticky mess on your hands.

How Do I Make it Round?

My pie crusts are never perfect, as you can see from this picture, but I've learned a few tricks for making it as round as possible. I like to turn the dough approximately 90 degrees each time I roll it so it has a chance to roll out in every direction. Start from the center and roll out toward the edges, being careful to apply even pressure all the way around. This prevents the edges from being thinner than the center.

Why Does Everything Have to Be Cold?

Cold butter helps you get a tender, flakey pie crust, and using ice water instead of room temperature water ensures the butter stays cold as you work with it. That's also partly why I like to make my pie crust several hours ahead of time, as that gives it a chance to chill in the refrigerator.

When you put your pie in the oven, the cold bits of butter melt, creating small gaps in the pastry that give you those delicious layers. I suggest combining the butter and flour as quickly as you can so it doesn't have much of a chance to melt before you bake it.

Have you ever made a homemade pie crust or other pastry?