Chicken pot pie is classic comfort food. The delectable combination of chicken, vegetables, gravy-like sauce tucked away in a flaky, golden brown pastry crust just oozes culinary coziness.
But chicken, peas, carrots and short crust pastry isn’t the only combination for making a chicken pie.
Cottage pie (like shepherd’s pie, but with chicken instead of lamb) with its mashed potato crust is one favorite. Tamale pie - a cornmeal crust topped with shredded chicken, beans, corn, sauce and cheese - is another.
Cornbread batter baked atop chicken and vegetables becomes a delicious hybrid of pot pie and cobbler.
Made from scratch, these pies can be rather labor intensive, but the recipes are easily adaptable and can be prepared with leftovers and shortcut ingredients like rotisserie chicken, cornbread mix and refrigerated mashed potatoes, so there’s no need to spend a day in the kitchen poaching, dicing, slicing and sauteeing if you don’t want to.
You could add some vegetables to this dish if it seems a little plain, but we really liked the simplicity of the flavors and textures.
Chicken Cottage Pie
1 ½ pounds thin-skinned gold potatoes, roughly chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken
½ cup nut brown ale
1 cup chicken broth, divided use
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup hot milk
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 tablespoon chive and onion cream cheese
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to just cover. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is light golden brown.
Increase heat to high and add the ground chicken. Cook, breaking up chicken, until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in ale, ½ cup of the chicken broth, the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Simmer 10 minutes. Set aside.
Drain the potatoes. Transfer drained potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash potatoes with the hot milk, 2 tablespoons butter and the cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan melt the remaining tablespoon butter and whisk in flour, whisking until all of the flour is coated with melted butter. Slowly whisk in the remaining ½ cup chicken broth, whisking until smooth.
Cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly. Stir into chicken mixture.
Spread the chicken mixture in a 9-inch pie plate or 4 individual oven-safe dishes. Top with mashed potato mixture, spreading it over chicken. Bake 25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown and top is lightly crisp.
Makes 4 servings.
Tamale pie is one of those dishes that’s been around for ages, and many cooks have their favorite way to prepare it. But the following version is unlike any we’ve seen before.
The recipe makes more chicken and vegetable mixture than will fit in most pie plates. We used the extra filling for tacos and enchiladas with delicious results.
Chicken Tamale Pie
For the crust:
1 ½ teaspoons taco seasoning
¼ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ½ cups enchilada sauce, divided use
1 ½ cups shredded cheese such as cheddar and/or Monterey Jack, divided use
For the filling:
1 cup canned or frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can beans such as pinto or black beans, lightly drained
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 (4-ounce) can fire-roasted chopped green chiles, drained
Fresh chile pepper, thinly sliced, for garnish
Cilantro, for garnish
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously grease a deep, 9-inch pie plate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the taco seasoning, cumin, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, egg and melted butter and mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until just set and lightly golden brown.
Using a fork or bamboo skewer, pierce the entire surface of the crust. Pour half of the enchilada sauce over top.
Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
In a bowl, mix together the corn, beans, chicken, green chiles and remaining enchilada sauce. Mound chicken mixture on crust; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes more or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve garnished with chile pepper and cilantro, if desired.
Makes about 8 servings.
Recipe inspired by Cooking Light and pinchofyum.com
Cheese Crusted Chicken Pan
Pie Crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into ¼ -inch pieces, chilled
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup butter
3 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ -inch thick
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 cup frozen lima beans
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
For the crust:
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives. Stir in cheese.
Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the ice water over mixture. Stir and press mixture together using a rubber spatula until dough sticks together. If dough does not come together, add more ice water, a teaspoon at a time.
Shape dough into a 4-by-5-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days. Let dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, vegetable oil or butter; set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Add the butter to the Dutch oven and reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery, onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
Whisk in broth, cream and thyme, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the Dutch oven. Bring mixture to a simmer; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Transfer chicken to a plate.
When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred or cut into bite size pieces and return pieces to mixture in Dutch oven. Add lima beans and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Lay dough over mixture in baking dish, trim dough, leaving about a ½ inch overhang. Press dough firmly to seal. Cut four oval slits in top about 1 inch long and ½ -inch wide to vent. Brush top with beaten egg. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips) and bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country Best Lost Suppers from the editors at America’s Test Kitchen
This dish has all of the flavors of a traditional chicken pot pie, but is baked under a cornbread crust.
Chicken and Vegetable Cornbread Cobbler
For the filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 ½ cups frozen cut green beans OR green peas
1 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
3 cups cooked, shredded or torn chicken breasts
½ teaspoon Mediterranean seasoning blend, or to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 3 ½ cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water OR dry white wine
2 to 3 tablespoons half-and half
For the topping:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Have ready a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
For the filling: Heat the oil in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion and bell pepper and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and pepper are softened but not browned. Add the carrots, green beans (or peas), corn, chicken, ½ teaspoon Mediterranean seasoning blend, ground black pepper and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until the carrots and green beans are tender. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Combine the cornstarch and water (or wine) in a small bowl, stirring until the cornstarch has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pan, stirring until well incorporated. Increase the heat to medium-high and return the broth to a boil and cook until filling thickens. Turn off heat.
Stir in half-and-half. Pour the hot mixture into the baking dish.
For the topping: Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and a grind or two of ground black pepper in a mixing bowl. Combine the melted butter, buttermilk and egg in a separate bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
Spoon the batter over the filling, leaving a few small areas of the filling uncovered so the sauce can bubble up. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the cornbread is cooked through and lightly browned. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe adapted from Stephanie Witt Sedgwick in The Washington Post
Food, Pages 29 on 01/22/2014