Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Thinking about grabbing a ready-made chicken pot pie from Costco? Don't do it! This one is SO much better, I promise. It is well worth the time and effort and can come together in about an hour. I could eat the crust alone, but the creamy chicken and veggie filling work perfectly in tandem with this fluffy -yet crisp on top - crust.

 

I grew up eating this chicken pot pie and it was one of the more popular meals my mom made for us. The ultimate comfort food in our house and always made with love.  What always stood out about this recipe for me was the crust; as simple as the ingredients are, I have never found or eaten a pot pie anywhere with this particular crust - golden, buttery and crispy on top with a fluffy, biscuit-like texture underneath. I've made it several times for friends, family, new moms etc. and it always gets rave reviews!

Get ready, because I know you will love it, too. 

CHICKEN POT PIE CASSEROLE:

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

• A whole chicken, around 5-6 lbs. cooked and shredded (You can use a rotisserie chicken if you're short on time, but I do recommend trying a whole chicken as it definitely tastes more "homemade".)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 medium sized carrots, sliced in 1/4" rounds
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 can, cream of celery (or mushroom)
• kosher salt + pepper, to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST

• 2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 sticks of salted butter, melted + 1 TBSP (to sauté the onion)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the whole chicken in a large pot (don't forget to remove the giblets!) and fill with cold water until it just covers the chicken.  Cook on high heat until it comes to a rolling boil then lower to simmer.  The total cooking time varies for me based on the size of the chicken, but on average this takes about 30 minutes.  Once cooked, remove the chicken onto a plate to let it cool.  (DO NOT get rid of the broth yet!  You'll use this to cook the vegetables in, as well.)  Once cooled, shred the chicken into a large bowl. This should render anywhere from 4-6 cups of chicken.
2. (At this point, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F) Turn the pot of water the chicken was cooking in to medium high heat and throw the celery and carrots in for 10 minutes.  You don't want to cook them for too long that they become too mushy; they will also continue cooking in the oven.
3. While the vegetables are cooking in the pot, heat 1 tablespoon of salted butter in a small pan and sauté the diced onion until soft.
4. Drain celery and carrots and toss into the same bowl as the shredded chicken. Mix in the can of cream soup until everything is combined. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.  I add around 1.5 teaspoons of salt but you may like it less or more salty than that.
5. Spread the chicken filling evenly onto a 9x13 greased casserole baking dish.
6. Combine all crust ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  Initially it might seem like it's too thin, but it will thicken as you continue mixing.  Pour evenly over the filling and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden.
7. Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Serves 6-8