Iron Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, good golly is this delish!

We got a cold snap here in Texas, which means the temps dropped from the pit of Hell degrees down to the 60s. So, when we Texans get the first inkling that Fall might, just maybe be around the corner, barring an unusual warm-up we call Indian Summer, our thoughts migrate to comfort food!

You see in Texas, we don’t tend to eat comfort food in the furnace we call summer. Comfort food is usually a slow cooked, hearty meal and frankly, we don’t want to heat up the kitchen for that long and get an electric bill big enough to require a second mortgage. Also, I don’t know about you, but when I’m sweatin’ like a streetwalker in church, I’m not in the mood for anything hot and heavy!

So when the weather down here has a slight dip, we take advantage of it post haste, cause in Texas you never know about the weather. I’ve seen 85 degree Christmas Days and dandelions popping their heads above the grass in January.

I’m not one to dilly dally, so this first refreshing day I decided to make chicken pot pie. Not regular double crust pot pie, but a one pan Iron Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with a ready-made pie crust! This is a rustic pot pie, so no fancy crimping necessary! Just fold the pie crust under around the edges and press to the sides of the skillet. Easy peasy!

And my apologies! If I had known how incredibly scrumptious this was, I would have taken pics along the way for the blog. I was cooking by intuition as usual and didn’t even think about pictures along the way.

So, preheat your oven to 375 and pull out that iron skillet! Here’s the recipe for the best and easiest chicken pot pie I’ve ever had. The hubs agreed!

Iron Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Yield: 4-6 servings

Difficulty: Easy

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 celery stalks, diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups chicken stock

½ cup cream

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted

1 ready-made pie crust

1 egg, whisked

1 tablespoon water

coarse salt

• Heat the butter and oil in the iron skillet until the butter is melted and slightly bubbly.
• Saute the chicken, celery, carrots and onion until the chicken is white and the onions are translucent.
• Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables. Stir until combined and cook for about one minute.
• Pour the chicken stock in and stir until slightly thickened. Add the cream and stir to combine.
• Add the salt, garlic, tarragon and nutmeg. Stir to combine, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Add the thawed green peas. Remove the skillet from heat.
• Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface making it large enough to extend one inch beyond the edge of the skillet. Cut a round hole in the center (or wait until the crust is on top of the fillings and cut several slits for steam to escape).
• Place the crust on top. Turn the edges under and press to the sides of the skillet.
• Whisk together the egg and water and brush on top of the crust.
• Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly hot. Let cool slightly before serving.

If you make this, which I’m sure you will, please let me know how much you like it! I always appreciate your comments!

Y’all stay safe!