Chicken Pot Pie Crust

[celeste]

OK, so I've perfected my recipe for the INSIDES of a chicken pot pie. But my current strategy of usig puffy pastry as the top is not up to snuff - the pastry usually sags and gets kind of glue-y in the middle.

What are your favorite chickekn pot pie crusts? I like putting the pot pie insides in individual ovenproof bowls and then just putting a crust over the top. A toothsome savory crust that will hold its own against the gravy goodness of the inside is what I'm after...

[javaandjazz]

I make cheedar cheese biscuits for the top of my chicken pie.

[revsharkie]

Sometimes I make a regular pie crust but add celery seeds to it. Or a cheddar pastry, which is a whole wheat pie crust with cheese mixed in.

But at my dad's cafeteria years ago they used to bake up a bunch of smaller-than-usual biscuits and then set them on top of the pan of chicken/vegetable stuff. That was one of my favorites. The biscuits are done all the way through, so they soaked up just the right amount of gravy.

[hummingbird]

I like using mashed potatoes.

[chezlamere]

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/3 c milk
combine flour,baking powder,sage and salt. Cut in butter. Stir in milk. Form into ball, Roll out, brush on egg wash before baking
I use this over individual ramekins or over deep dish pie plate, It's the best and fastest and never fails. I just use it for the top.
also campbell's has this great soup called cream of mushroom/onion that is great for chicken pot pie. And I HATE mushrooms. But I love this combo for the base.

[chowser]

If I'm feeling lazy, a corn bread crust. If not, I'll do a thyme pie crust.

[deannak]

I use the Grand biscuits. But I peel them in half and just place it on top of the pot pie. Cook everything together on the oven. The biscuit never gets soggy.

[eLizard]

I use Ina's pot pie filling recipe, and I use flaky pastry crust from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've gotten nothing but raves!

[celeste]

So you put Julia's pastry crust on top and bake the whole time on top (as opposed to adding partially through like some of the other suggestions here)?

[eLizard]

exactly. i roll it out and cut it if i'm using more than one baking vessel. sometimes i make individual servings, sometimes i make one big one. egg wash, salt and pepper, slits and bake away. i'm talking raves. and i just made 2 batches of pate brisee dough this weekend so i could make a pot pie this week. No parbaking the top. If i were using it as the bottom crust, i'd par bake the bottom, add the filling top with the raw crust top. let me know if you need any more info.

[celeste]

Thank you! That all makes sense. Which volume of MAFC is it in by the way? I only own volume II.

[eLizard]

Murphy's Law. It's in Vol.I
From admitedly imperfect memory for one crust it's
2C flour (Could be 2 1/2)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t sugar (i could be lying about the sugar)
1 1/2 sticks butter
4T shortening
enough h20 to make it come together

[mcel215]

I have solved the soggy topping this way.

When I make mine, I use grand biscuits and cook on a baking sheet.
I then place the almost cooked biscuits on top of my stew/pot pie and place in the oven.

Paula Deen uses puff pastry, cut into strips, and makes a lattice. She pre-bakes hers, and adds them to cook for fifteen minutes in the oven. She has said, that these are very popular at her restaurant. She makes indivual ones also.

[celeste]

What is a grand biscuit as opposed to a regular biscuit?

[TorontoJo]

mcel215 is referring to the Pillsbury Grand Biscuits that you can find in the refridgerated of the grocery store. The Grands are just bigger versions of their regular biscuits.

[pamd]

that's exactly what I do (grand biscuits) - and I make a few extra to serve on the side.