Ina Garten chicken pot pie from Food Network fills four individual bowls with roasted chicken in a creamy vegetable sauce topped with homemade pastry. And each pot pie runs approximately 1100 calories in about 1 hour and 55 minutes, since the pastry chills while the filling comes together.
Instead of poaching the chicken in the sauce, Ina roasts bone-in breasts separately at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes first. So the meat has its own flavor before joining the filling, and the sauce stays clean and creamy because no raw chicken poached directly in it.
Cooking the flour in the melted butter for a full 2 minutes before adding the hot stock is what keeps the sauce smooth instead of lumpy. And if you pour cold stock into raw flour, the starch seizes into clumps that no amount of whisking can fix.
Source: Ina Garten (Food Network)
Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes55
minutes1100
kcalOven-roasted chicken cubes fold into a sauce of butter, onion, flour, stock, and cream with blanched carrots, peas, and frozen onions. Then a homemade pastry of flour, shortening, and cold butter rolls out, tops each bowl, and bakes at 375°F until golden and bubbling.
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- For the filling:
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-oz.) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Directions
- Preheat for the chicken: Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Roast the breasts: Then place the chicken on a baking sheet, rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast 35 to 40 minutes.
- Dice the chicken: Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and cut into large cubes.
- Heat the stock: While the chicken cools, warm the chicken stock in a small saucepan and dissolve the bouillon cubes in it.
- Sauté the onions: Then melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and cook the chopped onions 10 to 15 minutes until translucent.
- Add the flour: Once the onions are soft, add the flour and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the hot stock: Then pour in the hot chicken stock and simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring until thick.
- Season and add cream: Once thickened, stir in 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream.
- Combine the filling: Then add the cubed chicken, blanched carrots, peas, frozen onions, and parsley, and mix well.
- Make the pastry: While the filling rests, pulse the flour, salt, baking powder, shortening, and cold butter in a food processor until pea-sized.
- Add the ice water: Then with the motor running, add enough ice water for the dough to just come together.
- Chill the dough: Once formed, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat for baking: Then heat the oven to 375°F.
- Fill the bowls: Once the oven is ready, divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls.
- Roll the pastry: Then divide the dough into quarters and roll each into an 8-inch circle.
- Top each bowl: Once rolled, brush the bowl edges with egg wash, drape the dough over, trim to 1/2 inch larger, and crimp.
- Finish the tops: Then brush each lid with egg wash, cut 3 slits, and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
- Bake the pot pies: Once on a baking sheet, bake for 1 hour until golden brown and bubbling.
FAQs
Can I use store-bought puff pastry instead of homemade?
Store-bought puff pastry works as a time-saving swap, and a single box gives you enough sheets for 4 bowls. But the homemade pastry has baking powder in it, which makes it lighter and flakier than standard puff pastry.
And if you use puff pastry, skip the egg wash on the edges since puff pastry puffs away from the bowl rim anyway. Since the filling bubbles up through any gaps, crimping tightly matters less with puff pastry than with Ina’s homemade version.
Why does the recipe use bouillon cubes with chicken stock?
The bouillon cubes boost the savory intensity of the stock, which matters because 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cream dilute the base significantly. And homemade stock alone may not taste concentrated enough once the roux thickens everything.
But if your homemade stock is already very rich, skip the bouillon to avoid an overly salty filling. Since the recipe adds 2 teaspoons of salt later, the bouillon is insurance for weak stock rather than a requirement for strong stock.
Can I make the filling ahead and bake later?
The filling stores in the fridge for up to 2 days, and the pastry dough keeps wrapped in plastic for the same window. So prep both on a Saturday and assemble the bowls on Sunday before guests arrive.
But do not top the bowls with pastry until right before baking, because the dough absorbs moisture from the hot filling and turns soggy. And this same principle applies to the ina garten flag cake, where adding the berries too early draws moisture into the frosting.
What can I serve alongside individual pot pies?
Each pot pie is a complete meal with protein, vegetables, starch in the sauce, and pastry on top. So keep sides light, and a simple green salad with vinaigrette adds freshness without competing.
But avoid heavy sides like mashed potatoes or bread, because the buttery filling and pastry already cover the richness. And for a lighter Barefoot Contessa dinner on a different night, the ina garten roasted butternut squash takes a fraction of the effort while still delivering that same oven-roasted comfort.
How do I reheat leftover pot pie?
Individual bowls reheat well at 350°F for about 20 minutes, and the pastry crisps back up since the dry oven heat hits it directly. But cover the top loosely with foil for the first 10 minutes if the crust is already deeply browned.
And avoid the microwave, because it steams the pastry into a soggy lid and the filling heats unevenly underneath. Since the filling is thick with flour, it holds heat longer than brothy soups, so let it rest 5 minutes after reheating before eating.
