Chicken-Tarragon Pot Pie Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Julia Child and Jacques Pépin

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Chicken-Tarragon Pot Pie Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(2,445)
Notes
Read community notes

This recipe, which is adapted from “Julia and Jacques at Home” by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin and was featured in a New York Times article about roast chicken, makes delicious use of leftovers (it would be excellent with the Thanksgiving turkey remainders as well). It is rich, but packed with vegetables. You can substitute dried tarragon for fresh, but use less than a tablespoon, and season to taste. —Julia Moskin

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Crust

    • 2cups all-purpose flour
    • 14tablespoons (1¾ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    • 1tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
    • Scant ½ teaspoon salt
    • Scant ½ teaspoon sugar
    • 1egg

    For the Filling

    • 5tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1cup chopped carrot
    • 1cup chopped celery
    • 1cup thinly sliced leeks
    • 1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
    • 1cup frozen baby green peas
    • 4tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • cups chicken broth
    • 1cup heavy cream
    • ¼teaspoon salt
    • ¼teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    • 3cups leftover roast chicken, cut into ½-inch chunks

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

631 calories; 45 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 412 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Chicken-Tarragon Pot Pie Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    To make the crust, combine flour, butter, shortening, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse together just until the mixture is crumbly and butter is broken into small pieces. Pour ⅓ cup ice water into the machine, and pulse 3 or 4 times. Squeeze a little dough in your hand to see whether it clumps together and is evenly moist. If not, add another tablespoon of water, and pulse 1 or 2 times more. Don't overmix so that the dough forms a ball.

  2. Step

    2

    Turn out dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Lift ends of plastic to gather dough together inside. Press into a large disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.

  3. To make the filling, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, leeks and tarragon, and cook, stirring, just until slightly softened but not browned (reduce the heat if necessary to prevent browning), about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl, wipe out the skillet, and place it back on the stove.

  4. Step

    4

    Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking, until the mixture bubbles and smells cooked. Do not let it brown. Whisk in 2 cups broth, and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in cream, and cook 2 or 3 minutes, just until thickened. Add salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in remaining broth.

  5. Step

    5

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add cooked vegetables and peas, chicken and sauce to 8-inch deep pie dish or other baking dish, mix gently, and taste for seasoning.

  6. Step

    6

    Flour a work surface. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out the dough, turning and flouring often, and cut a shape approximately the size of your baking dish plus 1½ inches overlap all around.

  7. Step

    7

    Roll dough up onto the rolling pin, and unroll over dish, so it rests evenly on top of filling. Fold the edges under and crimp. Poke tip of knife through crust to create 3 vent holes near the center. Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of cold water. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the entire crust with egg wash. Place on cookie sheet, and place in oven.

  8. Step

    8

    Bake 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling through vents. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Ratings

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2,445

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

C. Collier

I use a double pie crust; one on the bottom and one on the top because we like a lot of crust. Before pouring the filling into the raw pie crust, I brush it with an egg white. This keeps the bottom crust from getting soggy.

Edward Chrzanowski

When making poultry stock I would leave it in the fridge overnight and then remove the fat on top. This fat I would then use in making the crust for an intense flavor. This also works for duck, goose, and turkey.

California_Zin

I regularly make chicken pot pie with a recipe similar to this, and use 2% milk instead of cream… works beautifully!

Spatchco*ck

This is a great template for any kind of pot pie you like. I confess I use pre-made crusts, mainly because I loathe baking in all its forms and making a pie crust counts as baking.

Diane

I had trouble with the crust, so I compared this recipe to the original by Child and Pepin. They recommend a half batch of the crust recipe. They use an oval eight-cup baking dish, preferably about 10" long and 3" deep. Other useful instructions: The sauce should barely cover the chicken and vegetables, and it should be within 1/2" of the top of the dish. To help the crust adhere to the baking dish, brush a thin layer of the egg wash on the rim of the dish before adding the crust.

M. Carlson

This is a fine basic savory pie recipe for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Don't forget to season the roux to taste. The dish will be dismally bland if you skip that step. Eight main-course servings is optimistic. Six is more like it. Make that four if you've got teenage mouths to feed.

awakenow

Love the simplicity of this recipe.

To take advantage of Thanksgiving leftovers- substituted chicken w/ 4 cups shredded turkey and 4 cups turkey broth also included mushrooms and potatoes. Substituted tarragon with fresh sage and dried thyme. Yummy!!

MaryN

I have made this dish several times, and every time it was a hit. I did use half & half rather than cream, however; once I omitted it altogether (for the lactose intolerant), substituting a bit more broth, and it still came out well. I use a double crust, so I followed the suggestion to use egg white on the crusts (inside and out), using an oversized 9" glass pie pan. This recipe is now in rotation with a couple dozen regulars.

Ted Blumenschein

If you like more crust, make one for the bottom too, but pre-bake it so it remains crusty and doesn't get soggy from the pie filling (about 15 min. @ 400 deg) You may need to weigh it by filling it with dry beans while baking to prevent it from rising up. Then coat it with egg to further seal it from getting soggy. Makes a really nice crusty bottom.

Liz W.

I make this often, but to save time on a weeknight I sometimes use puff pastry instead of making a pie crust. With a salad and a dry white wine, it makes a company-worthy meal in under an hour.

Meg McAlister

I freeze pot pies and they come out great. I make the pies in disposable aluminum mini pie plates, put the uncooked dough on top (I usually cheat and use store bought pie pastry or puff pastry), put the pies on a baking sheet to flash freeze them in the freezer, then transfer them to a large ziploc bag for long term freezer storage. When I'm ready to bake them, I let them thaw in the refrigerator for a day, then brush the dough with egg wash, cut a slit in the top, and bake in the oven.

Hopbell

I often make this with left over roteserie chicken and pre-made pie crusts.

charlotte

New cooks will be puzzled about the egg. There is no mention of its use anywhere. I'd think the egg is brushed on the crust prior to placing pie in the oven.

Christine

I used a fillo dough crust and half and half instead of the cream, but otherwise followed the recipe. Super yummy! Notes: 2 large stalks of celery, 2 large carrots and 1 large leek work for the quantities needed in the recipe.

Laura

One can make a perfectly delectable filling without cream. Just make the roux with broth and skip the cream. It's still creamy and flavorful. Adding some white wine is also nice.

gillian

Delicious! Forgot the peas though. I’m not very familiar with crusts and was anxious every step making this one, worrying that I was going to overwork it, but that was definitely not the case - it was a perfectly delicious light flaky golden crust! The tarragon is SUCH a nice touch and worth hunting down fresh! Will make again!

Julia Knight

This is one of the worst pie crust I’ve ever made. Totally dry and crumbly..

brian

Made Bechemel with 2 C milk, 1C cream & 1C broth form poached chicken. Used julienned vegetables for poaching chicken in pot pie.

Katie

For a vegetarian option I substituted 2 cans of chickpeas for chicken. I mashed them a little before adding them to my gravy and it turned out great!

amazing!!

Made as recipe calls for except: I did use better than bouillon (about 1 tbsp) for the 2 cups of broth. I also added some fresh ground nutmeg to the roux and omitted the peas. Amazing. One of our new favorites!!

Mlsjazz

The recipe for the filling resulted in a very delicious dish. Not sure what happened with the crust recipe, but mine was an utter failure… the pastry seemed undermixed following the directions… must not have ever gotten fully incorporated in the food processor… as it baked with a very grainy texture and nearly completely disintegrated as it baked..

Roberto Cipriano

This is wonderful - I usually use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store which makes it a relatively fast dinner to prepare and it always feels special.

AmyK

Absolutely wonderful and perfect for leftover roast chicken! We were lucky enough to have on hand some leftovers from Nigella Lawson’s Tarragon Chicken recipe. The light lemon and tarragon in the leftovers was an added boost to the already delicious savory pie, plus I added one mined shallot. I make my own bone broth so used a combo of 3 parts chicken to 1 part beef broth. This recipe shines. So good, lots of mmmmm mmm at the dinner table!

Liana

Delicious! I used leeks, shallots and part of an onion in place of just leeks. Otherwise, I followed the recipe except for topping with high quality refrigerated biscuits, which my family prefers to crust, I divided each biscuit in 1/2 before baking in order to cover the entire pan. I cooked everything in my Le Creuset braiser and baked in the same pan for 20 minutes. So good and easy!

Kami

I am making this today, and just noticed there isn't a bottom crust. I told my English husband and his expression was priceless. He said, "Is it too runny for a bottom crust or is it just sheer laziness?"

amy g

So delicious! Added thyme with the tarragon. My turkey dinner leftovers were so amazing with this including green beans with mushrooms. And since I had been cooking all weekend I used frozen pie crusts. I didn’t make extra homemade crusts when I made my pies. But the pot pie turned out delicious!!

Suzanne

I use puff pastry for the top. I make this every thanksgiving with leftover turkey!

MM

This worked well with rotisserie chicken! 1/2 cup cream was enough, and it might have been too liquidy with the whole cup. I made this in an 8x11 rectangular baker, and there was still a lot of extra crust. I wouldn't hesitate to use a 9" pie plate, if that's what you have (instead of recommended 8"). Delicious-my family loved it.

Paul

Too watery, cook down the roux mixtureDon’t to a bottom crust, it’s better without oneUse this crust recipeTaste the inner mixture to make sure there is enough salt

Nina

This is tasty but way too creamy for my taste. I used a hearty homemade chicken stock, but it was just overwhelmed by the cream. Next time I would use 1/2 cup. I also added some fresh oregano and thyme from the garden, and some ground coriander and nutmeg.

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Chicken-Tarragon Pot Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my chicken pot pie get watery? ›

A watery potpie may be the result of not cooking the filling for long enough or adding too much liquid to the filling. Another possible reason for the pie being watery is if you add watery vegetables like spinach or green beans to the filling rather than potatoes or carrots, which soak up liquid.

Why is my chicken pot pie bland? ›

Add a little more salt and black pepper. Taste to see if it's less bland. Sauteed garlic and onions in oil also add a good flavor. Try adding a squeeze of lemon juice over the chicken before mixing.

How do you thicken chicken pot pie? ›

Stir a tablespoon of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water and add it to your filling mixture to thicken it.

Should I cover chicken pot pie with foil when baking? ›

Bake the pot pie until the center of the crust is evenly golden brown—and don't forget that the crust edge loves to bake at a faster rate than the filling—so covered it with strips of foil or make a foil collar of foil as pictured, to protect the crust edge from getting overly baked while you wait for the center to ...

How do you keep the bottom crust of chicken pot pie from getting soggy? ›

How to Prevent a Soggy Bottom Pie Crust
  1. Blind Bake the Crust.
  2. Choose the Right Rack in the Oven.
  3. Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White.
  4. Put the Pie on a Hot Cookie Sheet.
  5. Make a Thicker Crust.
  6. Add a Layer.
  7. Consider a Metal Pie Pan.
Mar 18, 2024

What is the sauce made of in chicken pot pie? ›

The sauce in chicken pot pie is typically a gravy. I use a seasoned white gravy made from scratch with flavor-building ingredients, chicken broth, and half-and-half.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating chicken pot pie? ›

A warm chicken pot pie might feel just right on a chilly day, but it can also do a number on your stomach. This seasonal food favorite is often loaded with fat, a common IBS trigger. The wheat in the crust is a source of the fermentable fiber fructans, says Scarlata.

Why is pot pie unhealthy? ›

High Saturated Fat: The pastry crust in chicken pot pie is often made with butter or lard, which is high in saturated fat. Diets high in saturated fat can lead to increased fat accumulation in the liver.

What makes chicken pot pie unhealthy? ›

Did you know an average restaurant portion of chicken pot pie has over 900 calories, 60 grams of fat and more than a days worth of sodium? Yeah, that's A LOT. Many often have 10-plus grams of trans fat, too -- thanks to pastries made with partially hydrogenated shortenings.

What country is chicken pot pie from? ›

The recipe for chicken pot pie originated in England, but what makes Pennsylvania Dutch country pot pie so different from others is the noodles. Bott boi noodles are square egg noodles that came from German and British traditional cooking styles.

Why do you not use a bottom crust on chicken pot pie? ›

I only gave my pot pie a top crust, because I feel like the bottom crust always gets soggy. If you do want to add a bottom crust, I suggest blind baking it. What does blind baking mean? It's when you bake your pie crust without a filling in order to crisp it up.

What temperature do you cook a homemade chicken pot pie on? ›

Heat oven to 425°F. Roll 1 pie crust into 13-inch square. Ease into ungreased 9-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Pour chicken mixture into crust-lined dish. Roll remaining pie crust into 11-inch square.

Do you leave the pot pie in the cardboard? ›

Remove pie from carton. Place pie, in its original paper pie tray, on baking sheet. The paper pie tray is oven-safe. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until gravy bubbles around the edges (165⁰F).

How do you fix a watery pot pie? ›

The last resort is to remove the filling, put it in a pan on the stove, add cornstarch, and thicken it up.

How do I keep my pies from being runny? ›

Partially pre-cook the filling to evaporate its excess juice. Experiment with different thickeners beyond flour — we love Instant ClearJel. Vent the pie's top crust so steam from the juice can escape. For even better evaporation, try a lattice crust or crumb crust.

Why did my pie turn out soupy? ›

The pie is underbaked. The filling has a bad liquid to corn/potato strach ratio. The blueberries will release juicy goodness when baked, and the starch in the filling is used to thicken the boiling juice. Too little starch and you get runny or soupy filling, too much and it gets gummy and unpleasant.

Why is my chicken pot pie not thickening? ›

If the chicken and/or the vegetables aren't partially cooked and thoroughly drained, they'll exude moisture during baking and thin out the filling. Be sure that the assembled filling is the consistency you like before covering and baking the pie.

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