Pot pies belong to everyone. They date back to ancient times and many cultures worldwide have various versions of savory pies. It’s a very popular comfort food dish here in the U.S. and many people already have a favorite recipe. The recipe I’m sharing here isn’t the only way to make a pot pie, but it’s one way to do it that happens to be delicious! I usually bake pot pies in a casserole dish, and you can certainly bake this one in a casserole dish if you want to. But I thought it would be nice to save a step and try baking one in a skillet. I love baking other things, such as cornbread, in a skillet so I had a feeling it would be good. I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Click here to find the skillet I used.
I had a ton of fresh herbs on hand, so they ended up in my pie crust on a whim. I was very pleased with the results. Feel free to switch up the herbs and use your favorites. Typically when you bake or roast something with fresh herbs, they tend to turn black and crispy. But don’t worry, they’ll be safely nestled inside the crust. And speaking of the crust, this one is tender and flaky due to my grandmother’s method of working the fat into the dough with your fingertips. You want to end up with flat dime size pieces throughout. A little vegetable shortening helps to add structure and flakiness and the butter makes it taste good. A touch of vinegar helps to inhibit gluten formation, so you’ll have a tender, flaky crust rather than a chewy one. And if you’re one of those people who tends to over work your dough, the vinegar can help with that. But please do yourself a favor and don’t over work your dough!!
Now I’m going to give you the best piece of cooking advice my grandmother ever gave me: Taste as you go! Taste everything as you are preparing it, not just when it’s done. So when you’re making your filling for this pot pie, add the herbs, salt, pepper and sage a little bit at a time until it tastes good to you.
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- 1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) diced onions
- 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) chopped celery
- 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) sliced carrots
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 3/4 cups (11 ounces) shredded cooked chicken
- 1/3 cup (2 ounces) frozen peas
- egg wash 1 egg beaten with one tablespoon water
Ingredients
Herb Crust
Filling
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- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Work shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly dispersed throughout.
- Work butter and herbs into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
- Mix ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle over flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until dough comes together. You may not need all of the water depending on your climate.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough briefly by folding dough over onto itself a few times. Do not over work dough! Form dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight.
- In an 8-inch cast iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery and carrots until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour and cook one to two more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in chicken broth slowly. If your sauce seems lumpy, use a whisk and vigorously whisk until smooth. Simmer on low until thickened. Stir in heavy cream. Add herbs and seasonings to taste. Add a splash of chicken broth if your sauce seems too thick.
- Mix in chicken and peas. Remove form heat. Set aside until skillet is cool enough to handle.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 10-inch round. Place dough over filling, tucking ends under and crimping with your fingers or with a fork. Brush pie with egg wash. Cut a 1-inch X in the center of pie to allow steam to escape.
- Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cover edges of crust with strips of foil if they start to brown too fast.