Chef Brian Lewis' Chicken Pot Pie Recipe: The Quintessential Comfort Food for Fall by Full House Hospitality Group, Chef Brian Lewis

As the crisp autumn air settles in, celebrated Chef Brian Lewis of Full House Hospitality Group invites you to indulge in the quintessential comfort food: chicken pot pie. This dish embodies the warmth and flavors of the season, expertly crafted to create a memorable dining experience that celebrates the bounty of fall. It's also a show-stopping hearty dish to prepare this Thanksgiving or holiday season.

The roasted chicken is juicy and perfectly seasoned with fennel pollen and smoked paprika. This chicken is the star of the dish. The glazed root vegetables are a colorful mix of carrots, cippolini onions and fingerling potatoes, caramelized to enhance their natural sweetness. The Amontillado sherry jus is a luxurious sauce that adds depth and richness, perfectly complementing the filling and creating a dish that’s truly unforgettable. The flaky puff pastry is the crowning touch, offering a delightful crunch that contrasts beautifully with the tender filling beneath.

With its inviting aroma and stunning presentation, this chicken pot pie recipe is ideal for fall gatherings, holiday season, family dinners or cozy nights in. It brings loved ones together around the table, creating an atmosphere of warmth and comfort.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Roast Chicken

• 1 3-pound chicken (from your favorite butcher, giblets removed)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 bunch fresh thyme

Here's how to make it: 

1. Preheat a non-convection oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and save for another use or discard. Rinse the chicken in cold running water briefly and transfer to a tray with paper towels and pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken on a cutting board and remove the wing bones at the second joint closest to the breast. Place the wing bones on a baking tray to later rest the chicken on during cooking.
3. Place a large bunch of fresh thyme in the cavity of the chicken and then truss the chicken as demonstrated in the video. Season the chicken evenly with the salt, fennel pollen, smoked paprika and black pepper. 
4. Be sure to leave the chicken at room temperature for up to one hour, but no longer, and then place in the 500-degree F oven for 20 minutes. Immediately lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for another 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the chicken rest in the oven for another 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 more minutes prior to carving the chicken.

Glazed Root Vegetables

• 8 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wheels
• 6 stalks celery, from the inside stalks, peeled and sliced 1/2-thick on a bias
• 15 cippolini onions, peeled.
• 10 fingerling potatoes, cooked in salted water until tender, chilled, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wheels
• 1/4 cup freshly picked thyme leaves
• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 8 -12 ounces water, as needed
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• kosher salt, to taste

Here's how to make it: 

1. In a medium heavy gauged saucepan, melt the butter with half of the water over medium heat until emulsified.
2. Add the cippolini onions and season with salt, cover and let simmer for 7 to 8 minutes and then add the remaining vegetables and water, season with salt and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring gently and adding water as needed to keep the butter fat from separating.
3. Once the vegetables are tender with the tip of a knife, remove from the heat and add the fresh thyme leaves and sherry vinegar. Adjust salt to taste and set aside until ready to assemble the pot pie.

Chicken Jus

• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1 roasted chicken, after all meat has been removed, broken into small pieces
• 1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
• 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat the grapeseed oil in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the vegetables oil and add the vegetables, stirring over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until nicely browned.
2. Add the roasted chicken bones and the white wine. Cook off the wine for 2 minutes and then add the chicken stock and fresh thyme. Simmer gently until the stock has reduced to half of its volume.
3. Strain through a fine strainer and return to a saucepan and keep warm.

Amontillado Sherry Jus

• 4 cups chicken jus
• 1 cup amontillado sherry
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour (unbleached)

Here's how to make it: 

1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour slowly until combined and cook over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until a rich nutty aroma and a light brown color develops. This is called a “roux” which is a classic thickening agent used in making this sauce.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the amontillado sherry, slowly whisking until incorporated, cooking slowly over low heat.
3. Add the chicken stock gradually, allowing the sauce to thicken slowly in stages, cooking off the flour flavor and achieving a velvet like consistency.
4. Once all the stock which has been incorporated, season with salt and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer and set aside.

Puff Pastry and Egg Wash

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

Here's how to make it: 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the whole egg and milk.
2. Lay the sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and cut one circle per serving of the puff pastry. The circle should be 1 inch greater in diameter than the casserole you will be serving the pot pie in.
3. Using a 1/2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut one circle in the center. This will allow the steam to release while cooking.

Pot Pie Assembly and Cooking

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (non-convection).
2. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the roasted chicken pieces, glazed root vegetables and 4 cups of the amontillado sherry jus.
3. Warm and combine all the ingredients gently, tasting and adjusting the salt and sherry vinegar to taste, if necessary.
4. Place the pot pie filling in the casserole until full, but not above the edge of the casserole.
5. Gently place the puff pastry circle over the top and press the sides into the edge of the top of the casserole using your fingertips.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown and the filling is warm when you test with the point of a knife.
7. Serve immediately accompanied by a side of the amontillado sherry jus, poured inside the center tableside.

Recipe and photos courtesy of Full House Hospitality Group.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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