Spooky Dinner Idea: Chicken Pot Pie

This time of year, all we want is to lean into foods that are warm and comforting. To me, a chicken pot pie fits the bill perfectly, and it turns out, they are really easy to make at home. The nice thing about a chicken pot pie is that a lot of the ingredients are things you may already have! Admittedly, a chicken pot pie isn’t super spooky, but it was so fun making the top crust into little ghosts that I cut out with one of my cookie cutters! Just a simple touch to make dinner more festive! Check out this delish recipe below!

Full credit for this recipe is to my Joy of Cooking Cookbook. They have the best comfort food recipes, and it’s a go-to in our house! Thank you Joy of Cooking!

Ingredients:

For creamed chicken:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cups chicken stock (I didn’t have chicken, so I used vegetable stock)
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk, half-and-half, or light cream (I used half-and-half)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 pinches ground nutmeg

For chicken pot pie:

Pie crust (homemade or store-bought which is what I used), Room temp
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4″ thick
2 small celery stalks, sliced 1/4″ thick
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 TBSP minced fresh parsley
2 TBSP beaten egg (for brushing over the crust)

Method:

For the creamed chicken:

In a Dutch oven or pot, place the chicken and add the chicken stock. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat so that the poaching liquid barely bubbles. Partially cover and cook until the meat releases clear juices when pierced with a fork, 8-12 minutes.
Remove the meat from the poaching liquid and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Skim any fat off the top of the poaching liquid with a spoon.
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 4 TBSP of unsalted butter.
Add the AP flour and whisk until smooth. Cook whisking constantly for 1 minute, and then remove from the heat. Add 2 cups of the poaching liquid and whisk until smooth, then, whisk in the half-and-half.
Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a simmer, whisking constantly. Whisk until thickened, then add your shredded chicken to the mixture along with salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Cook for about a minute longer and then remove from the heat.

For the chicken pot pie:

Position your oven rack to the top third of the oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, or you could probably split these between two pie dishes, too!
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 TBSP unsalted butter.
Add and cook the onion, carrot, and celery until softened. To your vegetable mixture, add the creamed chicken and the frozen peas and parsley. Stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into your prepared dishes.
Roll out one of the pie crusts and, using a cookie cutter in the shape of a ghost or other festive creature, cut out the shapes and lay them over the top of the mixture.
Brush the little ghosts with the beaten egg.
Bake 25-35 minutes, until the chicken mixture is bubbly and the topping is browned.