Easy Chicken Pesto Pot Pie

Chicken Pesto Pot Pie with Carrots, Peas, and Pesto

This recipe combines ingredients for a chicken pot pie with some Italian pesto and has a great flavor. Use ready made crusts and frozen veggies for ease of preparation.

Course Chicken and Turkey

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 10

Servings Servings

Calories 985kcal

Author Creative Culinary

Ingredients

1½ pounds chicken white or dark meat, boneless
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil divided
5½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 rib celery chopped fine
¼ tsp salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup milk
½ tsp thyme
2 Tbsp basil pesto
1.5 cups frozen peas and carrots
2 Tbsp lemon juice
30 ounce pie crusts, refrigerated or use homemade
2 eggs, large lightly beaten

Instructions

To Prepare Chicken

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned, about 2½ minutes per side. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate and strain broth into bowl.

To Prepare Pot Pie

Melt butter with remaining tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and 1/4 teaspoon salt until cook until lightly browned and softened, 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and cook 1 minute. Whisk in reserved broth, milk and thyme and simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto, frozen peas and carrots.
Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken and lemon juice to sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide chicken mixture into six 5-inch ramekins.
Preheat oven to 400°F and adjust rack to middle position.
Unwrap and unroll pie crusts onto lightly floured surface. Stick 2 crusts together using 1 of the beaten eggs as "glue." Repeat with remaining 2 crusts. Cut out 6 circles, each around 6 inches in diameter. Top ramekins with pastry circles and use a fork to seal edges. Using paring knife, make 3 steam vents in each crust.
Brush crusts with beaten egg and then bake until crusts are golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let pot pies rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Instead of individual pot pies, you could make 2 larger pot pies in traditional pie pans; dividing chicken mixture evenly between both pans and using the 4 pie crusts for 2 bottoms and 2 tops. It will need to bake longer so test every 5-10 minutes after the first half hour.

Special equipment: Six 5-inch pie plates or cast iron pans

Nutrition