A classic chicken pot pie filling topped with a fun basketweave puff pastry crust. It looks difficult, but it’s easy to make using frozen puff pastry and a pizza cutter. The secret to an extra puffy, crisp crust is baking the puff pastry separately from the filling.
The September edition of Cuisine at Home features a Chicken Pot Pie Casserole with sweet potato and apple topped with a basketweave crust. I loved the idea of a basketweave crust, and my son-in-law had been asking us to put my chicken pot pie on the menu, so I decided to combined the two recipes into a delicious new chicken pot pie recipe.
I like to make pot pies with chicken and vegetables that I have cooked ahead of time so it comes together quickly. I used the dry poaching method posted on The Kitchn to cook several chicken breasts for this recipe and the Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken and Orzo I made the day before.
If making pie crusts intimidates you, this is a fun, easy alternative. Just remember when working with puff pastry, it’s important to keep it cold. If your puff pastry warms up when you’re rolling it out or braiding it, just pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to keep it cold.
An easy way to weave the crust is to fold half of the strips back on top of themselves, lay a strip down then fold the strips back in to place, alternating every other row.
Chicken Pot Pie with Woven Puff Pastry Crust
Ingredients
- 1 package 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- ½ cup 1 stick butter
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 can 14.5 oz chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half I used fat free
- 2 cups cooked chicken diced
- 2 large potatoes cooked and diced
- 2 large carrots diced and steamed until tender
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Roll each pastry sheet into a 9 x 13 rectangle on a floured board or parchment. Cut one sheet in to 9 horizontal 1 inch wide strips. Cut the other sheet in to 13 vertical 1 inch wide strips. (I used a pizza cutter to cut the strips.) On a parchment or Silpat line baking sheet, weave strips into a 9 x 13 lattice pattern.
- Put the crust on the baking sheet in the freezer while preparing the filling.
- Preheat oven to 425º. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add onion and cook until tender, 3 - 5 minutes. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly add chicken broth and half and half, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add more or less half and half as needed.
- Stir in chicken, potatoes, carrots and frozen peas. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
- Remove puff pastry crust from the freezer. Put the baking sheet in the oven on the top rack and the casserole on the bottom rack and bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
- Put puff pastry crust on top of pie right before serving.
More pot pies you might like:
Chicken Pot Pie Bundles, Kathie Cooks
Slow Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie, What’s Megan Making
Cajun Turkey Pot Pie, Simply Recipes
Minestrone Pot Pie, How Sweet It Is
kristy
Oh wow, such a wonderful idea by braiding the pastry this way. Kudos!
Kristy
cindy
Sometimes I just want to eat dinner at your house Barbara. What time should I be there? Beautiful dish.
Barbara
Hi Cindy – dinner’s at 6:00 will you bring your caramel apples for dessert!
Michelle
I’ve never seen anything like this, it turned out perfect!
Cooking on a Dime
This looks perfect! Nice flakey yummy crust.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
That crust is just too pretty to eat!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Gorgeous woven crust, Barbara. The pie must taste scrumptious.
JG
The woven top crust is definitely eye catching!
~Judy
Becky
Wow! This looks amazing. You and Annalise have this pie crust art down. I’m taking tips from you guys the next time I need to make something beautiful with pie crust!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
That is so pretty! And great idea to make it in a casserole dish like that.
karen
I have never used a puff pastry, but now can’t wait to try one. Pot pie is a favorite of mine. Your pictures are always so inviting.
Barbara
Thanks sis!
angela@spinachtiger
I noticed you use fat free half and half. That got my attention, because I always ee chicken pie as heavy. Love your criss cross crust too.
Jamie
How cool is this, Barbara? I love it! And that chicken pot pie looks like comfort food heaven! I have to make this. Love it!
DebDeb
What a delectable and comforting autumn dinner! The woven top is just a delight! Frozen puff pastry is such a great timesaver and makes such an elegant crust! A sumptuous recipe!
Asmita
That is one beautiful pot pie!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Mum, I was just thinking of pastry too and baked something with pastry yesterday. Great minds think alike huh?;) I love that woven pastry crust! xxx
Ala
For a moment there, I swore I saw sprinkles in your pot pie–it took me quite a while to register that those were carrots and peas. It looks just as good as a dessert, though–thank you so much for sharing this beautiful basket-weave entree!
Kathy - Panini Happy
This is SO pretty, Barbara! What a lovely presentation for an already delicious dish.