Creamy and comforting classic chicken pot pie is one of my favorite dinner recipes. It means home food to me. Here, we have 'slab style' with my classic recipe for the filling and a homemade pie crust. I'll often make pie crust in batches and freeze the discs for the convenience of having them on-hand. Or, if I'm squeezed for time, I'll add pie crusts to my grocery list and swap it out for the homemade version. Both will work great!
Why a slab pie?
I'm a square pie recipe convert. It's so much easier to assemble, handle, and decorate a sheet pan. It's a perfect size. A slab pie is larger than a round pie but not too large. It's also easy to divide, slice, and serve. I love it.
What to put in the pie filling?
I like a few root vegetables - usually potato, carrot, and onion. I'll often add parsnip and sometimes celery. I'll definitely add peas if I have them available. Green beans are good, and corn to add crunch. Use your favorite veggies and make this your own! Just be sure to par-cook them until barely fork tender. They'll finish cooking in the oven.
Turkey or chicken?
Either! They both work great, and this meal is perfect for using up left-overs. Re-purposing leftovers is a bonus! And, if you're like me, I'll often batch cook chicken ahead of time to use in chicken recipes and meal planning later in the week.
The rest of the chicken pot pie ingredients:
Add some butter, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, and milk. Pile it all in a pie crust and bake it up! It will be one of your favorite dinner recipes, too.
How to get a flaky, crispy bottom crust:
You might want to consider a baking steel (also called a pizza steel), a pizza stone, or ceramic baking tiles. These are game-changers for crispy pie bases, pizzas, and roasted veggies. I use them for anything I need to have a crisp edge and bottom. It heats up as the oven pre-heats, and by the time you slide this in the oven, the steel is screaming hot. Just place your pie pan directly on the steel, and you can rest easy that there will not be a soggy bottom, and you'll get crisp and clean cuts. A pizza stone and ceramic baking tiles also work well. And, in a pinch, you can use a spare baking sheet. Place a baking sheet in the oven to pre-heat, then bake the pie on that. It won't be as hot as a steel or stone, but it's better than baking directly on the oven rack.
Here's a link to one of the baking steels that I use.
Artisan Steel - High Performance Pizza Steel Made in the USA - 16" x 14.25" (.25" Thick)I also have these ceramic baking tiles.
Unicook Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Grilling Stone, Baking Stone, Pizza Pan, Perfect for Oven, BBQ and Grill, Thermal Shock Resistant, 15x12 Inch Rectangular, 6.6LbsAnother tip is to avoid putting the filling in the bottom crust until you're just about ready to top it and bake. If it allowed to sit it will just sog out.
Other recipes using pie crust:
Use my all-all butter Herb Pie Crust or your favorite homemade or purchased crust for this slab pie. Keep in mind a slab pie is a bit larger than a round pie, so if you're purchasing it you'll need more crust.
New on the blog!
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie - A Slab Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13" jelly roll pan (also called a quarter sheet pan)
Ingredients
- 2 Large pie crusts - homemade or purchased. (see notes below)
Filling - The Veggies: enough for 4-5 cups of bite-sized veggies.
- 2 potatoes russet or your favorite, peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots large, peeled and cubed
- 1 onion large, chopped
- 1 cup peas frozen
Filling - The Chicken or Turkey: enough for 2 cups
- 2 cups chicken Cooked, left over roast chicken or turkey, chopped into small bite sized pieces, 2 full cups, packed.
White Sauce
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- ¼ cup flour + 2 tbsp all purpose
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425F. See notes below.
Veggies
- In an extra-large saucepan or regular stockpot, bring water to boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and onions and cook at a soft boil until potatoes barely yield to a sharp knife when pierced. (Be sure to hold back the peas. Those are added later)Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your veggies and the size of your pot. Don't over-cook the veggies, just enough to par-cook - they'll finish cooking in the oven. Drain and empty veggies into a spare bowl or on a plate. Set aside
White Sauce
- In the same pot, add butter and melt over medium-high heat. Before it starts to brown, add flour and whisk quickly to incorporate. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to create a thin film on the bottom of the pan. This will cook off the rawness of the flour. Add seasonings and whisk again. Add the chicken broth, whisk briskly and turn up the heat so the broth starts to thicken. Add the milk, continuing to whisk. The mixture should be thickening, about the consistency of melted ice-cream. Add the par-cooked veggies back into the pot with the white sauce.Add the chicken (or turkey) and the peas.Taste for seasoning and set aside to prepare the crust.
Pie Crust
- Roll out the bottom pie crust large enough to completely cover the 9x13" baking sheet, allowing space into the seam, corners, and up over the edge. You'll want an additional 1-inch overhang to crimp with the top crust later. Place the bottom crust in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the top.Roll out the top crust large enough to cover the slab pie with a 1 1/2 inch overhang. You can simply cover the pie with the entire crust and slice a few vent holes for steam to escape. Or, you can cut the pie crust into strips and overlap them in a basket weave pattern. With the top crust ready to go, scoop the filling into the slab pan, easing the filling into the corners. Whisk one egg yolk with two tablespoons of water and brush on the edges of the bottom crust. Carefully lay your top crust over the pie, straightening on the edges. Pinch together the top and bottom crust edge, working your way around the entire pie. The edge should be guided vertical, straight up and down, to create a bit of a barrier to prevent the filling from cooking over. Fold the edge over itself if you have sections with a longer overhang. Ideally, you'll have about an inch you can then crimp for a decorative edge. Brush the top crust with egg wash, sprinkle with some flaky sea salt and bake.
Bake
- Bake at 425F for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 375F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until you start to see a bubbly filling and the top crust a golden brown. Check 1/2 way through to possibly tent with foil if it looks like it's getting over-brown. Remove to a cooling rack and let sit before slicing. You'll want it somewhat cooled to be able to cut a nice slice that holds together.
Wrisad
I'm confused about the "9 x 13 baking sheet with 2-inch rim." When I think of baking sheet I think of a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. What you describe is actually a baking pan...the kind that I would make brownies or casseroles in. Just want to make sure I am using the correct type of pan/sheet for this recipe.
Sara Kennedy
Hey there! Thanks so much for the question. I apologize it was confusing...I need to go back and re-write that. Indeed, the baking slab pie is baked in a 9x13 baking sheet but it's a 1 inch rim (not 2). I went and measured mine again and it was more like 1 1/34 inches so I can see why it's confusing. It's like a jelly roll pan. It's not a 9x13 cake pan that we would use for casseroles. The 1 inch rim seems like it would be a bit too shallow but by the time the pie crust is on and there's a bit of a lip with the crust, it works perfectly. Here's a link to one I use (also called a quarter sheet pan). I hope that helps! https://www.amazon.com/USA-Pan-Bakeware-Resistant-Aluminized/dp/B001D1F2DA/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3JL36XTP5RJQC&dchild=1&keywords=1%2F4+sheet+pan&qid=1612917599&sprefix=1%2F4+sheet%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-8
Donna
Can I make this in my Challenger Bread Pan that is arriving today?
Sara Kennedy
That's exciting! I definitely do. I make all sorts of things in it (pies, casseroles, stratas, roast veggies). A few tips are to use a crust that holds well and won't melt out & double the edge. Also to not over-fill it & if you think it might bubble up while baking and leak over, then it probably will - so just bake it on a foil-lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup. You'll want to care for it as you would for other cast iron pans, as well. Thanks for stopping by and have a good holiday and safe New Year!
RUTHI
I know it will be VERY GOOD!
I really wanted to say. I Love your Reccipes and the beautiful way you are presenting the.m. I am already a fan.
Sara Kennedy
Thank you so much! You made my day. 🙂
Anonymous