Stovetop Chicken Pot Pie

One of our favorite family meals is chicken pot pie.  Over the years, I have tried different recipes, and combinations, and this one has to be our favorite, hands down! 

One of the great attributes of chicken pot pie is that it can be made from leftovers.  Usually after I cook a roast chicken, the next day I will make a chicken pot pie from the leftover potatoes, gravy and vegetables.

However, the nice thing is that even if you don't have roast chicken leftovers, and decide chicken pot pie needs to be on your menu, that is doable too!

For the pot pie that I am showing you today, I did not have any leftovers from a roast chicken dinner, but what I did have was some leftover cooked shredded chicken breast and broth.  So I decided that I would make chicken pot pie from this.

First I added a layer of mashed potatoes to the casserole dish.  I chose to use a deep casserole dish (about 9" x 3" approximately).  I greased the dish, and added the layer of mashed potatoes, and then the layer of shredded chicken.  

Next came the layer of freshly cooked and drained mixed vegetables (water drained and saved).

And the secret ingredient to my pot pie that .... I feel .... makes it so special is a box of cooked Stovetop dressing!

The next layer I needed to add was the gravy. Since I didn't have leftover gravy from a roast chicken, I made my own.  I used the water from cooking the veggies, and some of the broth from cooking the chicken to make the gravy.

I mixed up a bit of flour and water to make a thick paste, and stirred it into the simmering broth.

Next I added some of my homemade chicken bouillon,about 1-2 tsp.

Stirring until it came to a boil, producing a tasty chicken gravy!

I poured the gravy across the top of the casserole...

... and gently began to stir and mix it all together.

Once the gravy was completely mixed in...

I smoothed the top of the pie with the back of the spoon...

and topped it with my homemade pie crust.

Then I whisked one small egg with a bit of water added to it and covered the crust with the egg wash.

Placed the pie in the preheated oven at 425 degrees and baked until bubbly, about 35-40 minutes or so.

As the pie cooked in the oven, we couldn't wait for it to finish and cool a bit...

Before diving in and enjoying a scrumptious piece of pie!  If you haven't made chicken pot pie with Stovetop dressing before... you need not wait another day!  In fact - even if you have leftover dressing from a roast chicken or turkey, you could use this as well - I have done this in the past.  But most of the time, I do not have homemade stuffing, and so Stovetop chicken dressing certainly fits the bill most of the time! 

I will share with you my recipe below - but feel free to play around with your combinations of what you add - but I must say, without the Stovetop dressing or homemade dressing, it just isn't quite the same!  Enjoy! 

Stovetop Chicken Pot Pie 

1 box chicken or turkey Stovetop dressing

1 package prepared instant potatoes (about 4 cups) or mashed potatoes

1-1/2 cups mixed veggies, cooked, drained (save liquid for gravy)

1 pound chicken, cooked, shredded (save broth for gravy)

1-1/2 cups broth

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp flour

Chicken bouillon to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

1 homemade pie crust (recipe below)

1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 425.  Spread prepared instant potatoes or mashed potatoes in bottom of greased deep casserole dish.  (9 x 3" works for this recipe).  Spread shredded chicken over potatoes.  Next, add drained veggies.  Top veggies with prepared box of Stovetop dressing.  

Prepare gravy using broth from veggies and chicken.  Put 1-1/2 cups broth in a small pot.  In a separate bowl whisk together flour and water until no lumps remain. Slowly pour flour mixture into broth, stirring constantly.  Once it has come to a boil and thickened, remove gravy from heat.  If there are any lumps, you can strain them.  Pour gravy over the Stovetop dressing.  Gently mix all together until fully blended.  Pat down until smooth with back of spoon.  Roll out homemade pie crust to cover the casserole dish.  Prick with a fork and brush the crust with egg wash.  Place in oven and cook about 35-40 minutes or until the crust is browned and sides are bubbly. (You may want to put a cookie sheet underneath to catch any overflow).  Let pan sit and cool for about 10 minutes, and then serve.  I usually serve with a side salad and homemade buttermilk biscuits.  

Homemade Pie Crust

3-1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups lard (or vegetable shortening)

4-5 Tbsp ice cold water

Combine flour and salt. Blend in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add in water 1 Tbsp at a time only until you are able to form a small ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Roll out dough on floured surface to form top of pie.  This pie crust makes enough for 2 pies. You can either have a double crusted pie, or use the leftover pie crust for something else. Store extra pie crust in refrigerator.   

So there you have it - our family's favorite chicken pot pie!  Blessings to you and your family today :)