Make Ahead Chicken Pot Pie Recipes

MAKE AHEAD LOW FAT CHICKEN POT PIE RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven 400 F if serving immediately Coat pie plate or 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 2. In nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté onion, celery and carrots until tender, stirring. 3. In a small cup, add cornstarch to ½ cup chicken broth, mixing well. Pour into skillet, stirring. Gradually add remaining chicken broth, stirring and cooking over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add evaporated milk, thyme as well as salt and pepper to taste. Return to boil, add chicken, cooking until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Either proceed or allow mixture to cool, cover and refrigerate. Once you are ready to serve, reheat mixture if made ahead or time and spoon hot mixture into baking pan. Pull apart biscuits and layer on top of mixture, overlapping some if necessary. . Bake 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Allow to cool a few minutes and serve.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN POT PIE--MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZABLE!

Steps:

• Saute the first 3 ingredients in butter in a big skillet over medium heat until tender, 5-10 minutes.
• Add flour; stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add chicken broth and milk; cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.
• Stir in chicken, peas, salt, and pepper.
• Cool before pouring into pie crusts. VERY important! This allows it to thicken a bit more.
• At this point you may freeze the filling in a labeled freezer safe container/bag. To prepare from frozen, read instructions below.
• Freezes very well separately or fully prepared in the crust. Try them both and see which way you prefer! And see instructions below for both.
• Start by preparing the crusts by rolling them out and place the bottom crusts in the pie plates and set aside the top crusts until ready to cover.
• Pour filling mixture into bottom crusts and cover with top crusts.
• Fold edges under and crimp.
• Poke slits in the top (you can make a nice pattern here too!)
• Cover with foil, label and freeze. See below for preparation instructions
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake assembled pie uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• Thaw filling in refrigerator. You might need to stir or mush the filling together to combine well and reincorporate. Assemble as described above (To Assemble Your Pot Pie) and bake accordingly. OR you may bake the whole pie from frozen.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake 30 more minutes.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• For the chicken: Start by putting the chicken in a pot and covering it with water. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, and then remove the chicken from the pot. Set the chicken aside to cool briefly.
• Shred the chicken with 2 forks, reserving the bones. For the stock, return the bones to the pot and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the bones from the pot and discard.
• For the pot pie: When you're ready to use the Thyme Pastry, remove from the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter to thaw slightly, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Begin by finely dicing the vegetables. Slice the celery stalks into narrow strips, then slice in the other direction to create a fine dice. Repeat this process with the carrots, and the onion.
• Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, a couple of minutes.
• Add 2 cups of the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken, and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
• Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine if using. The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy. Next, add the peas.
• Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it's adequately salted!
• Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan or small casserole dish.
• Roll out the pastry so that it's 1 inch larger than the pan. Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top. Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal. I don't worry about making a perfect edge on my chicken pot pie because a) it looks more rustic and b) I'm lazy, hungry and I want to eat.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• To freeze: Allow the filling to cool completely then top with the crust. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
• To cook from frozen: Remove the pot pie from the freezer, brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water or cream) and place directly in a 375-degree F oven and bake until lightly browned and bubbly, 30 to 45 minutes.
• For the thyme pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using pastry cutter, gradually work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.
• Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. (Dividing the dough in half results in two pretty generous pie crusts. If you desire a thinner crust, you may divide the dough into three crusts.)
• Place in a large plastic bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin. This makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough and place the plastic bags in the freezer. I like to make several batches of pie crust at a time so I always have a crust ready to go.
• For recipes other than this pot pie, remove from the bag and place on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough from the center, outward. Be gentle and patient; it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.
• If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen it and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes; no back-and-forth rolling.
• Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the pie crust and carefully lay it over a pie pan. Using your hand, lightly form the crust so that it fits inside the pan and overlaps the edges.
• Because it's quick and easy, I just tuck the excess dough under itself above the rim. Then you can apply whatever decorative effects that you like to the edge. Or you can leave it plain if you'd like! Just tell yourself it's more rustic that way!
• Fill the pie crust with filling and bake according to the pie recipe's directions. Or, for a pre-baked crust, fill with pie weights (or pinto beans placed on aluminum foil) and bake at 400 degrees F until golden, about 10 minutes.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place potatoes and carrots into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Slowly stir in flour and thyme. Slowly stir in broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, peas, corn, and potato-carrot mixture.
• Place a pie crust in the bottom of 2 pie plates. Fill each with 1/2 of the pot pie mixture and cover with the remaining pie crusts. Cut slits in the top of each crust, and press a fork around the edges to seal. Freeze one pie.
• Bake one pot pie in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

SHAKER-STYLE CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and cream cheese and toss to coat with the flour. Using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, work the fat into the flour until the mixture looks like moist cornmeal. Sprinkle in the water, a tablespoon at a time, gently working the mixture into a shaggy dough that just comes together when pinched. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide it in half and form into two disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the green beans and bell peppers; cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with the chicken pieces and set aside.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes (it's OK if the roux colors -- I like the nutty flavor), and then add the cream, milk and vermouth. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, thyme and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, then pour the roux over the chicken-vegetable mixture. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
• Roll out one of the disks of dough into a rough 12-inch round. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough so that it overhangs the edge by about 1/2 inch. Dock the dough in the pie pan by pricking the bottom with the tines of a fork. Add the filling to the lined pie plate. Roll out the second disk of dough into a 10-inch round and top the pie. Crimp the edges to seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie to vent. Place in the freezer until the crust feels frozen, 10 to 15 minutes. (At this point, the pie can be wrapped in plastic and then foil and frozen for up to a month. See Cook's Note for baking instructions.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the pot pie with egg wash, place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.

GOLDEN CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Combine the first 11 ingredients. Divide between two 9-in. deep-dish pie plates., Roll out crusts to fit top of each pie. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes., Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies up to 3 months. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 425°. Place pie on a baking sheet; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°. Remove foil and bake until golden brown or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°, 50-55 minutes longer.

FREEZE & BAKE CHICKEN POT PIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a deep skillet, melt the butter and cook celery, carrots, and onion until tender.
• Pour in the flour, and mix in well.
• Stirring constantly, add in the milk and chicken broth a little at a time, alternating between the two. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until thickened.
• Add chicken, peas, salt, and pepper, and stir until combined. Remove from heat and cool.
• Roll out pie crust and use the foil pot pie dish as a template. Cut a piece of dough for the bottom of the dish that is about an inch (²¹⁄₂ cm) thicker than the widest rim of the dish, and a piece that is the same size as the rim. (Roll dough back out and repeat to make more pieces.)
• Place the larger piece of crust in the bottom of the foil dish, fill with the cooled pot pie filling, and top with the smaller crust piece.
• Pinch together, then seal together with a fork. Cut 4 small slits in the middle of the crust.
• Cover each pot pie with foil and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C), and bake for 30 minutes with the foil on top. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Enjoy!

SLOW-COOKER MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN

Steps:

• Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix oil, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat.
• Add chicken to slow cooker; pour 1/4 cup water over chicken. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender and easy to shred.
• Transfer chicken to cutting board; cool slightly. Shred chicken, then toss with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard remaining liquid.
• To Freeze: Divide chicken into 2 portions (about 2 cups each). Place each portion in freezer container or resealable freezer plastic bag. Label with date. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 1 hour. Transfer to freezer; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight or until completely thawed. Use in recipes calling for cooked chicken.
• To Make in Oven: Heat oven to 425°F. Place rack in large rimmed sheet pan. Spray rack and pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix oil, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat. Place in single layer on rack in pan. Roast 33 to 38 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of largest thigh reads 180°F and meat is tender enough to shred. Remove from oven; let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Toss shredded chicken in pan liquid to coat.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY POTPIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, potato and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add flour and seasonings until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in turkey and peas; divide mixture among 4 ungreased 5-in. pie plates., Unroll crust; cut into quarters. On a work surface, reroll 1 quarter into an 6-in. circle; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge; cut slits in top. Repeat with remaining crust and potpies., Cover and freeze 2 potpies for up to 3 months. Bake remaining potpies until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving., To use frozen potpies: Remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover edge of crusts loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until golden brown and filling is bubbly, 15-20 minutes longer.