Food Literacy StudentsEveryone needs a good chicken pot pie recipe to have on hand, and this one adapted from Robbie Rice on Allrecipes.com is sure to check all of the boxes! Chicken pot pie is a staple comfort food that is perfect for all ages. Not to mention it’s flavorful, filling, and is likely to leave you leftovers to enjoy later on.
This recipe is from an established food blog called All Recipes. As a busy college student, I love finding recipes that are budget friendly and that will leave me with quick leftovers throughout the week. Growing up, I was never disappointed when my mom announced that we were having chicken pot pie for dinner. Being able to recreate this dish while being away from home is the perfect way to find joy and comfort through a nutritious meal. I also love that this recipe teaches how to make your own easy pie crust! Since learning how to make this crust, I can use this same recipe for other dishes such as quiche, empanadas, and dessert pies. It is an overall versatile and easy recipe to follow.
Cost Breakdown
| Ingredient | Amount Needed for Recipe | Unit Cost of Ingredient | Recipe Cost of Ingredient |
| Butter | 1 1/3 cups | $3.98/lb | $2.65 |
| Flour | 3 cups | $1.32/ 2 lbs | $0.47 |
| Salt | 1 tsp | $2.42/ 2.5 oz | $0.16 |
| Water | 2 Tbsp | — | — |
| Chicken | 1 lb | $9.74 / 2 lbs | $4.87 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | $2.44/ 2 lbs | $0.63 |
| Peas | 1 cup | $0.98/ 12 oz | $0.65 |
| Celery | 1/2 cup | $1.72/ head | $0.86 |
| Onion | 1/2 onion | $0.78 each | $0.38 |
| Pepper | 1/4 tsp | $2.42 / oz | $0.10 |
| Chicken broth | 1 3/4 cup | $1 / 32 oz | $0.44 |
| Milk | 2/3 cup | $2.73 / gallon | $0.11 |
| TOTAL RECIPE COST | $11.32 | ||
| Cost per Serving (8 servings) | $1.42 |
Recipe Making Process
Gathering ingredients for this recipe at local grocery stores is a breeze because each ingredient is a kitchen staple. In fact, it is likely that you already have most of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry! Carrots and celery are in season during the fall and winter seasons, which can make the meal even cheaper to make. Any other vegetables can be substituted in for the filling, such as corn. Having the chicken breast already thawed, helped with speeding up the preparation/cooking process. It can also be helpful to have the carrots and celery pre-chopped to make cooking time run smoother. I like to have the chicken and vegetables boiling while I am working on my pie crust. This recipe uses baking and boiling as its two main cooking methods. Each step should be simple and clear to follow, leaving you with a beautiful, golden brown, pie!
This chicken pot pie recipe is sure to be a winner for you as it’s been for me. It’s packed full of flavor and the flaky texture of the pie crust paired with the warm filling will leave you wanting more. It’s budget friendly and most ingredients can be frozen (chicken and peas) or used for other recipes (flour, salt and pepper). A tip that I would recommend is letting the pie set for 15-20 minutes before serving. This allows the pie to set and cool, which makes serving it super easy! If you find your crust is getting too dark/burning as you are cooking, you can cover it with aluminum foil to avoid the crust burning as it may cook faster than the rest ofthe dish. This recipe makes 1 pie or 8 servings, but if you won’t be eating it all in one sitting it makes great leftovers.
Chicken Pot Pie
Description
Versatile for your schedule. This recipe can be made ahead of time and then assembled and baked or assembled and frozen to be enjoyed later. It makes a full pie, so you will have many leftovers for busy days.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
Pot Pie Filling
Instructions
- Make sure your butter is diced and cold before starting. Make sure you’re using ice water also.
- Combine flour and salt in food processor. Pulse once to mix.
- Add butter and process until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse, a few times. I always add a second tablespoon of water and pulse until the dough forms a ball. This takes a few seconds. If you find your mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water, one teaspoon at a time.
- Turn the dough out onto a silicone baking mat, if you have one. If you don’t, you’ll need to flour your surface. Press the dough ball into a disk and roll to about 1/4″ thickness. If it sticks to the rolling pin, place a sheet of wax paper on top of the dough so you don’t have to add more flour. Be sure to flip and rotate your dough as you go so it does not stick to your surface. Roll out the dough to a few inches larger than your pie plate (about 12″ for a 9″ pie plate).
- Place in pie plate and press to fit. Tuck under any overhang and crimp or use the tines of a fork to decorate the edges. Chill until ready to fill.
- If mixing crust by hand: Add flour, butter, and salt to a large bowl. Cut your butter in using a pastry cutter. Work in one tablespoon of water at a time. I find I need to use 2-3 tablespoons of water when I’m doing this by hand.
Turn the dough out onto a silicone baking mat, if you have one. If you don’t, you’ll need to flour your surface. Press the dough ball into a disk and roll to about 1/4″ thickness. If it sticks to the rolling pin, place a sheet of wax paper on top of the dough so you don’t have to add more flour. Be sure to flip and rotate your dough as you go so it does not stick to your surface. Roll out the dough to a few inches larger than your pie plate (about 12″ for a 9″ pie plate).
Place in pie plate and press to fit. Tuck under any overhang and crimp or use the tines of a fork to decorate the edges. Chill until ready to fill. - Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
- In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pie Crust – with food processor
Filling and Assembling Pie
Notes
- Learning how to make a chicken pot pie helps growing knowledge in food and nutrition, because it is a well-rounded meal that includes protein, vegetables, dairy, and grains. It also is useful in developing food skills because the basic pie crust recipe can be used on a variety of other dishes! Once mastering a chicken pot pierecipe such as this one, it is easy to adjust the ingredients and use the learned skills to put together more nutritious meals. This leads to a new-found confidence and self-efficacy both in the kitchen and with your ability to provide nutritious meals for yourself and your loved ones. Understanding ecological factors such as what vegetables are in season, can be helpful in making seasonal modifications. While making a chicken pot pie, skills in both boiling and baking are practiced as well. Truly, a chicken pot pie recipe is ideal for increasing overall food literacy.
