Not Your Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie is a different take on traditional Chicken Pot Pie!
Forget the peas and carrots! In this delicious one-skillet meal, chicken first marinates in an exotic blend of Moroccan-inspired spices and herbs, and tasty broccoli and earthy mushrooms take the place of traditional peas and carrots.
Believe it or not, the inspiration for Not Your Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie came from a failed recipe. A year ago I made a Dori Greenspan recipe for Chicken B’stilla. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but at the time I thought that puff pastry and filo were interchangeable and mistakenly used puff pastry instead of filo to make the dish. The recipe called for eight sheets of filo and I used eight sheets of puff pastry. Instead of a beautiful light, flaky crust, I ended up with about an inch of puff pastry dough that never did quite cook all the way through. But wait, there is a silver lining, the chicken filling was wonderful, and I resolved then to yes, make Chicken B’stilla again with filo but to also incorporate this delicious and very different chicken filling in my regular pot pie recipe.
I have another confession; I do not like English peas! Never have and never will. I do love all types of Southern peas, white acre, purple hull, crowder, etc. , but there is just something about the texture of English peas that I don’t care for. So, many years ago when my children were young I started replacing the traditional peas and carrots in chicken pot pie with broccoli and mushrooms. I would even throw in an occasional handful of cheese for good measure and top it all off with a refrigerated pie crust.
Fast forward to today, and Not Your Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie is a “fusion” of Dori’s Chicken B’stilla, my tried and true chicken pot pie with broccoli and mushrooms and to top it off, a puff pastry crust. This recipe does take a little more time than most of my recipes, but it is easy to put together, and I hope you will try it soon!
Now if you are a traditionalist, by all means, feel free to substitute peas and carrots for the broccoli and mushrooms, but do try the chicken filling. It is delicious!
The ingredients for Not Your Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie include chicken thighs or breasts, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, purchased chicken stock or my homemade rotisserie chicken stock, fresh lemon juice, honey, broccoli, mushrooms, butter, all-purpose flour, puff pastry, fresh parsley, kosher salt, and pepper. (Dori’s recipe calls for a pinch of saffron threads. Saffron is expensive and hard to find, and I decided to leave it out of this recipe. If you have some, by all means, use it.)
When you are ready to make this delicious entrée, place the chicken, chopped onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and saffron threads(if using) in a large Dutch oven or another heavy-duty pan. Mix well and cover. Let sit for an hour at room temperature. (If making ahead, you can refrigerate this mixture and let it sit for up to 24 hours if you like.)
Place the pan over high heat and add 2-½ cups of chicken broth and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover the pot and let simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.
Heat the oven to 400°F. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Press the pastry into a 2-quart round casserole or well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Trim any excess pastry. Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork. Place aluminum foil onto the surface of the pastry.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil. Set aside.
Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool. While the chicken is cooling, add the lemon juice and honey and continue simmering uncovered until the liquid has reduced to about 1 cup. Pour this liquid into a small bowl and wipe out the pan.
When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and shred or cut into small pieces. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon butter and the mushrooms to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms until they are done, and any liquid has evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and wipe out. Set the mushrooms aside.
Add 2 tablespoon of butter and when it is melted, sprinkle on the flour. Stir constantly until the flour is well incorporated and golden brown. This should take about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the reserved cooking liquid and 1/1-2 cups of chicken broth. When the sauce has come to a boil and thickened, add the chicken, mushrooms, and broccoli and remove from the heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Unfold the remaining pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet crosswise into 6 (1 ½-inch thick) strips.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the casserole. Weave a lattice pattern over the filling with the pastry strips. Trim any excess pastry. Place the casserole onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is hot and bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Sprinkle parsley on the top and serve immediately.
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Not Your Mama's Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken filling
- 4 skinless chicken thighs or 2 breasts
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of saffron threads optional
- 2-½ cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon honey
Filling
- 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 sheets puff pastry dough
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken, chopped onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and saffron threads(if using) in a large Dutch oven or another heavy-duty pan. Mix well and cover. Let sit for an hour at room temperature. (If making ahead, you can refrigerate this mixture and let it sit for up to 24 hours if you like.)
- Place the pan over high heat and add 2-½ cups of chicken broth and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover the pot and let simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Press the pastry into a 2-quart round casserole or well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Trim any excess pastry. Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork. Place aluminum foil onto the surface of the pastry.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil. Set aside.
- Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool. While the chicken is cooling, add the lemon juice and honey and continue simmering uncovered until the liquid has reduced to about 1 cup. Pour this liquid into a small bowl and wipe out the pan.
- When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and shred or cut into small pieces. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and the mushrooms to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms until they are done, and any liquid has evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and wipe out. Set the mushrooms aside.
- Add 2 tablespoon of butter and when it is melted, sprinkle on the flour. Stir constantly until the flour is well incorporated and golden brown. This should take about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the reserved cooking liquid and 1/1-2 cups of chicken broth. When the sauce has come to a boil and thickened, add the chicken, mushrooms and broccoli and remove from the heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Unfold the remaining pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet crosswise into 6 (1 ½-inch thick) strips.
- Spoon the chicken mixture into the casserole. Weave a lattice pattern over the filling with the pastry strips. Trim any excess pastry. Place the casserole onto a baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is hot and bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Sprinkle parsley on the top and serve immediately.
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