Serves a Crowd
by: Erin Jeanne McDowell
November7,2015
4.6
16 Ratings
- Prep time 2 hours
- Cook time 1 hour 40 minutes
- Makes one 9-inch deep-dish pie
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
I made this pie last winter for the first time, and there is nothing more warm, comforting, or rustically impressive to bring to the dinner table in the coldest months of the year. If you want to use your favorite pie crust recipe, prepare three times a single crust recipe to replace this dough. If you want to use your favorite pie crust recipe, prepare three times a single crust recipe to replace this dough - you'll need 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust, and 1/3 for the top. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- For the crust
- 3 3/4 cupsall-purpose flour (450 g)
- 3/4 teaspoonsalt (3 g)
- 3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed (340 g)
- 3/4 cupice water, plus more as needed (173 g)
- For the filling and assembly
- 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, divided (85 g)
- 1 large sweet onion, diced (about 325 g)
- 3 stalks celery, diced (about 300 g)
- 3 carrots, diced (about 225 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (15 g)
- 1 pinchsalt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cupall-purpose flour (60 g)
- 4 cups(1 liter) chicken stock (907 g)
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1/4 cupheavy cream (60 mL)
- 4 cupschopped, cooked chicken (575 g)
- 1 1/3 cupsfrozen peas (200 g)
- 1 brush of egg wash, as needed for finishing
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C. Place a 9-in/23 cm springform pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Make the pie crust: In a large bowl (working with a pastry cutter or your hands) or in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and toss well to coat the cubes in flour. Cut the butter into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter (or pulse it in the food processor), until the butter resembles the size of peas, and the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- If mixing in the food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the bowl, add the water and mix until the dough comes together. It should be rough in texture, but hold completely together - it should not be sticky. If it’s too dry/appears powdery, add more water 1 tablespoon (15 g) at a time until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough—you’ll need about 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust and about 1/3 for the top crust. Form each piece into a disk, wrap each piece of dough, and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator (and up to 2 days).
- While the crust is chilling, make the filling: in a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrot and sweat until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is just starting to turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the vegetables back to the pot, along with the bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, chicken, and peas and return to a simmer. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the mixture from the heat. Cool completely (this mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to assemble and bake).
- Par-bake the bottom crust: on a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger quantity of dough to ¼ in/6 mm thick. Transfer it to the springform and trim the edge so there is ½ in/1 cm overhang all around the edge of the pan. Chill the dough inside the pan for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Dock the chilled dough with a fork on the base and sides. Line the crust with parchment paper and pie weights, and bake until the crust is beginning to brown at the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights, and return the pie to the oven for 2-3 minutes more, until the base appears dry. While the crust is still warm, use scissors to cut away any excess crust that’s still hanging over the edge of the pan. Cool the crust to room temperature.
- Mound the cooled filling into the cooled crust, pressing firmly to ensure minimal air pockets. Make a nice, rounded mound at the top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller amount of dough to ¼ in/6 mm thick. Use a rolling pin to transfer the dough to the top of the pie.
- Trim away any excess dough, leaving about ½ in/1 cm excess all the way around the edge. Nudge the edge down into the side of the springform pan so that it meets the top edge of the bottom crust. Push the crust down a bit so the excess puckers outward and creates a little lip, just like the edge of a typical pie. Press that outer lip together to seal the edges a bit, then crimp with a fork to seal.
- Egg-wash the top crust evenly and cut vents into the top crust. Transfer the pie to the prepared baking sheet and bake until the crust is very golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents, 50-60 minutes. If the pie is browning too much or too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C and/or tent the top of the pie with foil for the remainder of bake time.
- Cool the pie for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving. Un-mold the outer edge of the springform pan. Slide an offset spatula around the edge of the base of the pan; if the pie is really cool and it feels solid in the middle, you’ll likely be able to pick up the pie with your hands (or a large spatula) and transfer to a platter or stand. If it feels soft in the middle, you may rather keep it on the springform base for slicing.
Tags:
- Pie
- Pot Pie
- American
- Chicken
- Celery
- Pea
- Milk/Cream
- Carrot
- Thyme
- Serves a Crowd
- Thanksgiving
- Winter
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Ashley
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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29 Reviews
Kathleen T. January 14, 2024
This crust is amazing. I was skeptical because I usually make hot water crust for a deep dish pie and wouldn’t have thought that a tender crust could hold together. But I trust Erin and decided to give it a go. I did replace half of the butter with leaf lard and there was a fair bit of fat leakage from the pan. I didn’t make the filling in the recipe but used leftovers from the holidays that I had in the freezer-turkey, dressing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. I let the pie sit for about 45 minutes before “unspringing” it and then put it in a casserole dish in case the crust didn’t hold. But it came out beautifully. I didn’t par-bake the bottom crust but baked the pie on the lowest shelf and it was just fine. It also took about an extra 30 minutes of baking before I was satisfied with the internal temperature of the filling. I look forward to trying this crust with the filling in the recipe.
Tasha January 14, 2024
I made this and while it was good, it was pretty problematic as written for me. I wanted to follow the recipe for the crust since I’ve not made it before, but it leaked butter significantly during both the par and final bake. It cracked and the filling leaked out after removing it from the pan. I also found it bland-next time I’ll do like commenters and try a hot water crust. I think the picture for this article must have been taken after the pot pie was refrigerated-my filling was still quite loose and spilled out when the pie was cut even after 30 minutes of cooling.
C December 2, 2023
In step 6 it says to add vegetables back to the pot, but there is nothing about removing vegetables from the pot in step 5 or 6. What am I missing?
Tasha January 7, 2024
Was wondering this too :/ also, anyone have thoughts on what kind of cooked chicken? I worry that rotisserie chicken would be too dry.
Mac.Ent June 15, 2023
Added mushrooms, pinch of cayenne, some white pepper, ground cardamom, pinch of nutmeg and some MSG.
Teigha March 31, 2022
The photo shows potatoes but the recipe doesn't make mention of adding potatoes!?
James R. February 19, 2022
I did replace 1 stick of butter with lard but followed it otherwise and it was a terrific flaky and tender crust.
Chrisinhouston September 14, 2020
I would think using a hot water pie pastry crust would also work well for this. It's a bit more work but really holds up nicely with raised pies like this.
Karenteacher September 13, 2020
I would love to make this, but I live alone... I'd be eating it for weeks. Would it be possible to halve (or even cut to 1/4) this recipe, do you think? It looks like it should be possible - and I'd love to make individually-sized pot pies so I could freeze some for later consumption. Any suggestions?
Sarah :. April 30, 2020
BEST. CHICKEN POT PIE. EVER. So delicious and the crust is flaky and just yummy. I'll be keeping this recipe forever.
dnkil February 23, 2020
Great recipe - added mushrooms because I had them on hand. I will definitely make this again.
shon March 14, 2019
You should show a photo of the pan you used. Better yet, leave an Amazon link for the pan you used.
susie C. August 24, 2022
A link, yes, please! But not an Amazon one.
Austin A. February 2, 2019
Would the baking time change if the top crust was made of full puff pastry instead?
Patrick B. January 19, 2019
I've made this twice and it's ALWAYS amazing! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT.
Ashley December 9, 2018
I followed this recipe for the filling, as I just made gluten free drop biscuits for the topping. I needed to use turkey leftovers, so used turkey meat and homemade turkey bone broth, with a cornstarch gravy. The filling was SO flavorful! Rich and silky smooth.
Doreen T. February 8, 2018
Could you use a 10” pan?
MorePlease January 15, 2018
I do these with a hot water crust and they come out fantastic. This recipe sounds good too, can’t wait to try. If anyone is up for it try it with a hot water crust, they are simpler, less fussy and quicker but oh so crumbly & buttery.
Tommie M. October 19, 2018
What's a hot water crust??? post the recipe please!
Lucyfan5658 February 20, 2020
MAKES
enough for one large (deep dish) double-crust 9 inch pie or about 2 dozen mini pies
Ingredients send grocery list
2 1/2 cups (10.62 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (2.12 oz) bread flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) salt
1/3 cup (2.66 fl oz) water
1/2 cup (4.00 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (4.00 oz) lard (or shortening, if you must)
Directions
Have your filling ready to go. In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, the bread flour, and the salt to combine.
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add the butter and lard and stir until melted. The mixture should be hot—if needed, bring it back to a simmer briefly.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the hot liquid into it. I usually start mixing it with a fork—but a silicone spatula or wooden spoon works too. Mix until the mixture forms a shaggy mass: It should form a ball but not look smooth.
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a clean, smooth surface until it’s smooth, 2-3 minutes.
You have to work with the dough while it’s still warm—divide the dough as needed for your recipe. You can roll the dough out (between two sheets of parchment paper is best and helps prevent sticking, ripping, and tearing). You can also press the dough into a pan. For deep dish pies, I tend to opt for a combination—rolling the dough out, then patching the holes as needed—just be sure to patch well! You want smooth sides and no chance for leakage.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (10.62 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (2.12 oz) bread flour
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) salt
1/3 cup (2.66 fl oz) water
1/2 cup (4.00 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (4.00 oz) lard (or shortening, if you must)
SAVE
Hot Water Crust Pastry Goes Against Everything You Thought You Knew About Pie
Hot Water Crust Pastry Goes Against Everything You Thought You Knew About Pie
SAVE
Hot Water Crust Pastry Goes Against Everything You Thought You Knew About Pie
Hot Water Crust Pastry Goes Against Everything You Thought You Knew About Pie
Stacey B. January 10, 2018
Made this last night and absolutely loved it! This is my new go-to pie crust recipe. I'm wondering if you would adapt the crust at all for sweet pies (add a Tbls of sugar, etc.?).
Janet S. December 25, 2017
Made this with already made pie crust! Was still delicious!
Jen O. December 1, 2017
Would love to make individual pot pies to take to a friend on bed-rest. Suggestions welcome!
soher January 3, 2018
Maybe try large muffin tin?
Terri April 27, 2016
I made this over the weekend, makes enough to feed the whole neighborhood! Best chicken pie I've ever eaten. I used a hot water crust pastry, which makes a stronger crust, it held up well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Karen January 4, 2018
I never used a hot water pastry crust before - I see the same recipe author has one for it. Did you still follow all the blind-baking instructions? Was the dough difficult to work with for the top crust? I ask this last question because the hot water pastry crust says to handle it right away for easier handling. Thank you!
