There is something nostalgic about chicken pot pie with its flakey crust, creamy sauce, and hearty filling. Being a 90’s baby, chicken pot pie always meant Marie Callender’s but, trust me, this homemade version tastes amazing, has no questionable ingredients, and will make you never want to go back to the frozen version again.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commision without any extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping through my links/codes!
The Benefits of Einkorn Flour
Some of you may be new to einkorn flour so I wanted to quickly go over the benefits!
- High in protein, iron, phosphorous, and thiamine to name a few
- Contains 213% more lutein, 55% more riboflavin, 76% more manganese, and 20% more fiber than regular wheat
- Considered the original wheat since it has not been modernized/hybridized, and because if this many who can’t tolerate regular wheat or gluten do just fine with einkorn
- Nutrient dense (and literally more dense) which triggers leptin and helps us to feel satiated quicker because our bodies recognize the unadulterated gluten within einkorn
- Contains 50% less phytic acid, which is one of the reasons it is easier on our digestive tract and also our metabolism as a whole since phytic acid is what binds up minerals
As you can see, einkorn is so much better for your overall well being that regular wheat! You can make it even more nutrient dense by purchasing einkorn berries and milling them yourself OR creating a sourdough starter with einkorn flour. I purchase our einkorn flour by the box-full from Azure Standard and have been eyeing a grain mill for a few months! You can find where to purchase these items below:
products mentioned
How To Make Einkorn Chicken Pot Pie
Whenever I make this chicken pot pie recipe, I like to start prepping it at around 2:30pm, let the veggies sit and the crust rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
The Hearty Filling
We order our meat from ButcherBox and get a lot of chicken for free in every box. I love using chicken thighs for recipes like this for the richer flavor. I take the chicken out the night before and put it into our defrosting drawer in the fridge. To make the chicken an easy part of this dish, I put it into the Instapot on the Poultry setting so it’s ready to put into the creamy sauce and straight into the pot pie. This takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes so plan accordingly.
For veggies, I use red potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic. You can add other veggies like sweet potato, parsnips, or peas if that works better for your family.
Cutting the onion and garlic and letting them sit increases their health properties so that’s another bonus!
Once you are ready to cook, I add a big scoop of butter to my cast iron skillet and once that’s melted, put in the veggies with a good amount of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and rosemary to taste. Put your onion and garlic first until they’re translucent and then add in your veggies. Once soft, add in your cooked chicken so the flavors meld together.
The Crust
In a large bowl, add in the einkorn flour and salt.
In a cup, add water and ice and get your tablespoon ready.
Cut your butter into little squares and add them to the flour.
Use a pastry cutter or fork and mash the butter into the flour then use your fingers to really get that butter incorporated. This makes for a flakier crust.
Once incorporated, this is when you start adding the ice water. I typically start with 7 tablespoons and knead it in the bowl until it comes together and then add 1-2 more tablespoons depending on how much dry flour is still at the bottom of my bowl.
Turn your dough out onto a cutting board or clean countertop and knead it until it forms a ball. Stretch it out to make it look like a thick pizza and fold it into thirds. Do this again in the opposite direction then wrap it into plastic wrap.
Place it in the fridge for minimum 45 minutes.
When you’re ready to assemble your chicken pot pie, take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out so that it will fit on top of your pan/pie dish. When rolling out pie dough, the more you can fold and then make it flat, the flakier and more layered it will become.
This recipe will make a bottom and a top for your pie. If I am using a pie dish, I will put crust on the top and bottom. If I am baking in my cast iron, I will just put on the top and freeze the other half of the dough for another time.
Make sure to poke/score the top once placed so it vents.
The Creamy Sauce
Once your veggies are soft in the cast iron, transfer them into a stainless/glass bowl and start making your roux. Melt a big scoop of butter into the same cast iron and once it’s melted, stir in at least 3 tablespoons of einkorn flour stirring constantly. I love to use my dough hook for this. Once it’s a thick paste, add in your chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly so it becomes thick. Then add in your milk of choice. We like our chicken pot pie very creamy so I put enough chicken broth and milk to almost cover our veggies and chicken mixture. Continue to whisk your cream sauce for 5 minutes while adding in your salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and rosemary. I like to season every step of this process!
Putting It All Together
Okay now let’s piece this einkorn chicken pot pie together!
If using a pie baking dish, place your bottom crust, then put in your veggie and chicken filling, pour your cream sauce over the top, place your top crust and vent it with a few pokes. Place in a 400°F oven for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
If baking it in your cast iron, leave your cream sauce in the cast iron, add in your hearty filling, then place your crust on the top and vent it.
Planning timeline for us busy mamas
2:30- Put chicken thighs into the instapot and gather ingredients
2:45- Start making your crust and place it into the fridge
3:00- Cut your veggies and leave them on the cutting board (you can cover with a tea towel)
3:15- Roll out your crust
3:45- Cook your filling, add your chicken once it’s done in the Instapot, once veggies are softened set aside
4:00- Make your cream sauce
4:15- Assemble your einkorn chicken pot pie and place into the oven
5:00- Dinner is ready!
Einkorn Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 c Einkorn flour (more for dusting)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 8 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes
- 10 tbsp ice water
Filling
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 medium red potatoes, cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into thin circles
- 4 chicken thighs, cooked
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Cream Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp einkorn flour
- 2 c chicken broth/stock/bone broth
- 1 c milk of choice (we use goat)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
Crust
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt
- Cut the butter into the flour
- Add in ice water (start with 7 tbsp then knead with your hands. If there is still dry dough at the bottom that won't combine, add in 1 more tbsp of water)
- Knead dough for a few minutes and flatten them into thick discs (like pizza crust), wrap in plastic wrap, and place into the fridge for at least 45 minutes
- Once you are ready to use, take out of the fridge for 10 minutes to thaw and roll into the shape of your dish (allow 1-2 inch overlap for crimping)
- Divide into two equal parts if you want a top and a bottom crust (if you only want a top, wrap the other and place into freezer)
- When rolling, first roll into a flat circle and then fold into thirds and roll flat again. Do this three times so you get a flakey, layered crust
Filling
- Place chicken into the Instapot and let cook
- In a cast iron skillet, melt your butter then add your onion and garlic (cook until translucent)
- Add in your veggies and cook until soft (season generously)
- Place your cooked chicken into the veggie mix and cook for 5 minutes to the flavors meld then set aside in a bowl
Cream Sauce
- In the same cast iron, melt butter
- Add in einkorn flour whisking constantly to create a thick roux
- Once thickened, add in your chicken broth 1/2 c at a time whisking constatly
- After you have added how much broth you want, add in your 1 cup of milk and stir
- Add in salt and pepper to taste and let thicken for at least 5 minutes
Putting It All Together
- If using a pie dish, place your bottom crust and crimp the edges (if using your cast iron, you can just do a top layer of crust)
- Put in your veggie and chicken filling
- Pour your cream sauce over the top
- Roll on your top crust, crimp the edges, and vent in the middle
- Place into a 400℉ oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown on the edges
Leave a Reply