Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie: Secret Recipe Club

Secret Recipe Club

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie

I just love getting my assignment from the Secret Recipe Club. Even though I am a host, I don't assign the blogs, that's Amanda's job. Each month I am still so excited to see who I got. If you'd like more info or care to join us, click on over and read all about it the Secret Recipe Club. I also have my own CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE if you are interested in another cooking adventure, you can read about that too.

This month I received a blog that I was unfamiliar with A Little Nosh, even more fun. I had about an hour to spare the day I got the assignment, so I went a reading and a searching. Amy the blog owner, loves give-aways. She has done some amazing give-aways on her blog.

I came across a few recipes I think we would enjoy: Zucchini Lasagna, Homemade Pizza Sauce, Hawaiian BBQ Sandwiches and I've always wanted to try to make Kale Chips, she even had a recipe for those. I've eaten Kale Chips, but not made them yet. She had a version of Catalina Chicken too, this is my families FAVORITE chicken, here is our recipe Catalina Chicken. Since I already have that recipe on my blog I continued to look. And well I looked all the way back to earlier this year, February 2011 to be exact and I found it. I found the perfect recipe for this month's Secret Recipe Club: Chicken Pot Pie and not any Chicken Pot Pie, it was Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie. 

I have been wanting to make this pot pie and this just gave me that little push I needed. She made the Pioneer Women's Chicken Pot Pie, straight out of her cookbook. Well, since I have the cook book and have been dieing to cook from it, I pulled the recipe, got all the ingredients and made it that weekend. I was having some girls over to scrapbook so I served it to them and YEP, they LOVED IT TOO! They thought it was the BEST pot pie they had ever eaten. This will now be the ONE and ONLY pot pie recipe that I will ever make!  I LOVE it when I find that ULTIMATE recipe and I never have to worry about searching for that "perfect" recipe, for this that or the other. Well, this is another ULTIMATE and nope there will never be another. :-)

I used a combo of fresh and frozen and mine turned out delicious!
I am sure all frozen would work as well as all fresh ingredients!



My ONLY bummer is that I did not read the directions the night before and did not know that Pioneer Woman's pie crust must be left over night. This made for a last minute change and I used my mother-in-laws tried and true homemade pot pie crust. I've posted the recipe before, but here are more pictures and detailed directions. When I make the pot pie again, I would love to try Pioneer Woman's Homemade crust and see how it compares. But until then, mine worked out wonderfully.

Okay, please don't mess with my pie crust. As you can see I had way to much on

one side and kind of tried to roll it over. I am still working on my pie-skills.

They aren't perfect by any means! But, oh it was so delicious anyways!

I can't wait to make this for my mother-in-law. She is gonna LOVE it!

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

from my Mother-in-Law Charlotte 

2 cups flour
1 cup Butter Flavor Shortening
1/2 cup COLD ICE water (just don't use the ice)
pinch of salt

This recipe will make enough for a top and bottom pie crust for a normal size pie tin.

Mix flour, shortening and salt with a pastry knife (or a fork if you don't have one). Once it's all mixed together then add COLD water and continue mixing. Cut into half and roll out one at a time onto a flour surface. Roll until you get your desired shape (ie: round for a pie tin).

This pie recipe works great for this Hamburger Pie, Turkey Pot Pie and also is wonderful for dessert pies too!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, found inspiration on A Little Nosh

3 celery stalks

3 medium carrots, peeled (I used a bag of frozen green beans, peas, carrots)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 large onion

4 tbsp butter

2 cups chicken, cooked, diced or shredded

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 chicken bouillon cube

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp Herb de Provence (replaced with this because we HATE thyme)

1 tsp kosher salt

black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Begin by finely dicing the fresh vegetables, celery, carrots and onions. Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery and peas (or mixed frozen vegetables, like I did). Saute until the vegetables start to soften, a few minutes. Add the 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. Pour in the cream and stir. Allow mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it's adequately salted!

We like a crust on the bottom and on the top. The above homemade crust makes enough crust for a bottom and a top. Cut the crust in half and roll out to cover the bottom. Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan. (as I was pouring I realized there was enough "stuff" to fill TWO pie pans). Boy, was I HAPPY!!! one to eat and one to freeze. If you want to cook the froze Chicken Pot Pie, I usually defrost over night in the refrigerator and then cook normal time. But if you want to cook from frozen-state, you should add foil to the top so that it does not burn. Cook on lower temperature and for about 1-1/2 x the amount of time!

Now, finish the top off with the other half of the crust. Roll it out to 1" larger then the pan. Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top with a fork. Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal. I still need to work on my crusting-skills to get it perfectly looking. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling in bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I was so excited when I discovered that this recipe made not one but two of these delicious pot pie recipes. And like always I love making an extra recipe to have for a busy night. I can't wait to eat this again SOON!!! 
The perfect Chicken Pot Pie that will now become my families "go-to" recipe!
Thank You Pioneer Woman and A Little Nosh for pushing me to make this AWESOME recipe!

Here are a list of my past Secret Recipe Club recipes: Raspberry & Nutella Pizza, Cucumber Salad, Bean Roll-Up and Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)

One Year Ago Today: Sour Cream Blueberry-Blackberry Muffins