I used leftover roast turkey, not chicken, and I think I used quite a bit less than called for in the recipe- I just eyeballed the amount to use. I also added peas because I wanted veggies in this. I left out the celery. I used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. I used one small onion minced fine rather than scallions. I did not strain the sauce and discard the veggies. I followed the rest of the ingredients and instructions.
Changeup: make with ham instead of chicken or turkey!
All that said, this recipe was AMAZING. Just amazing. So so good. I will definitely make this again and say goodbye to any potpie recipes that call for cream of something soup. I would also like to try adding some carrots to this. Everyone loved this!
JUST CHICKEN PIE
Deena Stovall, Gurnee, Ill.
Her story: "In 1979, I attended a spring arts and crafts bazaar in Keokuk, Iowa. The line to get in wound around the building. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes or so, I asked the woman in front of me, 'Is the line always this long?' She replied, 'This isn't the line to get in. This is the line for the best chicken pie you will ever eat.'"
"I bought a pie and thought it was wonderful. I literally saw people carrying grocery sacks full of pies out of the building. They would take them home, put them in their freezers and use them the whole year.
"I spent two years trying to find a recipe that tasted as good. Most recipes had vegetables. I finally found one that was similar in a Southern cookbook. I used my mother's pie-crust recipe and changed the sauce a little.
"I developed the recipe for my family. I ran catering business for over 25 years, and I ended up making thousands of these pies. You can plan a menu around it and include almost anything with it — fruit, vegetables, salad — because the flavor is rich and creamy but doesn't fight with anything else."
Recipe:
Serves 6 to 8
2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 celery rib, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 scallions, chopped (I do minced onion instead)
1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough,
bottom crust fit into a 9-inch pie plate, top crust rolled to a 12-inch circle and refrigerated
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg, beaten, for brushing the top of the pie (I don't do this)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared pan, skin-side up, and roast until the temperature registers 160 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, remove and discard the skin, and cut the meat from the bone and shred the chicken into 2-inch pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk, broth and zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce into a large bowl (discard the vegetables), stir in the chicken and scallions, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the filling cool until just warm, about 30 minutes.
4. Spoon the chicken mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the remaining chilled circle of dough. Trim all but ½ inch of the dough overhanging the edge of the pie plate. Press the top and bottom crusts together, then tuck the edges underneath. Crimp the dough evenly around the edge of the pie, using your fingers.
5. Cut four 2-inch slits in the top of the dough, brush with the beaten egg, and bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve.
Double-Crust Pie Dough
Makes enough for one 9-inch pie
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into
1/2-inch pieces and chilled
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
6—8 tablespoons ice water
1. Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula, until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
3. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the countertop until malleable before rolling.
Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out into two 12-inch circles on a floured work surface and fitting them into a pie plate.
Making Pie Dough by Hand
Freeze the butter in its stick form until very firm. Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled shortening and press into the flour, using a fork. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture, then cut the mixture together, using two butter or dinner knives, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Continue as instructed in step 2 of the recipe.
Shortcut: Use Pillsbury Just Unroll Pie Crusts
edit 6/19/25: I used puff pastry instead of pie crust. It was very good.
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