My search for the perfect pot pie crust was inspired by my love of chicken pot pie, one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. However, homemade pie crust has never been my forte. I’m much more confident in my ability to make easy dinners like chicken casserole, or to execute simple baked goods like English muffin bread.
I tended to avoid pie-making altogether until this foolproof pie crust recipe came into my life. My desire to make a delicious pot pie won out over my fear of homemade crusts, so I went looking for a reliable pie dough recipe I could use as the crust for chicken pot pie.
Not only did I find the perfect foolproof crust recipe, but it also turned out to be perfect for making homemade pies of all kinds! Whether you’re making a fresh peach pie or hearty chicken pot pie, this crust is perfectly flaky, has a delicious buttery taste, and turns out perfect every time.
When making this recipe, be sure to keep the fat and water cold, and work the dough only as much as you absolutely need to ensure it turns out tender and flaky. The addition of an egg to this pie crust dough helps bind it together so it’s easier to work with. Give it a try!
Foolproof Pot Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients (for one double crust pie):
- 4 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cups butter-flavored shortening, chilled
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cold water
Directions:
Using a pastry blender or fork, mix flour, shortening, sugar, and salt together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You can also use a food processor, just be very careful not to over mix.)
Combine the vinegar, egg, and water and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until liquid is absorbed and the pie dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat round, then wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before rolling.
This dough can also be frozen for a chicken or turkey pot pie down the road. Speaking of which — let’s make one! It’s such a treat to have a pot pie made from scratch.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed (I use rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup sliced celery
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2/3 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a saucepan, combine the meat, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover; boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then drain the chicken and veggies and set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt butter and cook onions over medium heat until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper, celery seed, and garlic, then slowly add the chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick, then stir in the chicken and vegetables and remove from heat.
To prepare the pie crust, roll out one of the portions of dough on a lightly floured work surface to form a circle about 2-3 inches wider than your pie plate (12 inches or so for a 9-inch pie plate. Press it into the bottom of your pie pan. Pour hot chicken and vegetable mixture into the bottom crust, then roll out the top crust and place it on top. Trim any excess dough, then seal and crimp the edges of the crusts together.
More Ideas You'll Love
Make several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Then bake at 350° F for 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
5 Tips for Avoiding a Soggy Bottom Crust
To prevent the bottom crust from getting soggy, try one or more of these pie crust hacks:
- Rather than dividing the pie dough in half, split it 60:40 and use the larger portion as your bottom crust.
- Use a metal pie pan to for a crisper crust.
- Preheat your oven with a baking sheet inside, then place your pie on the hot baking sheet when you put it in the oven.
- Brush the bottom crust with an egg wash and bake it for 15 minutes before adding the filling.
- Add a thin layer of bread crumbs, flour, or cornmeal to the bottom crust before adding the filling.
More Ways to Use This Pie Dough
With the holidays coming up, you can give yourself a head start by preparing a few make ahead crusts now and sticking them in your freezer. Use them to make apple, pecan, mince, or pumpkin pie down the line.
You can even go a step further by rolling half the dough out, situating it in pie pans, and freezing them — pans and all! Make sure to wrap them tightly to keep the air out, then simply thaw and fill. It’s a great way to save time on future single-crust pies.
You can also use this pie dough to make delicious pot pies with leftover turkey or beef, too! If you have leftover mashed potatoes, try using it in place of a top crust — it’s pot pie meets shepherd’s pie!
What’s your favorite comfort food?
Foolproof Pot Pie Crust (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cups butter-flavored shortening
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cold water
Instructions
- Using a pastry blender or fork, mix flour, shortening, sugar, and salt together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Combine vinegar, egg, and water, then add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir just until liquid is absorbed.
- Divide dough in half, wrap the portions in plastic, and refrigerate them for at least 15 minutes before rolling.
My grandmother taught me how to make pie crust when I was little, and she used to say, “Use lard like it’s water and and water like it’s gold”. She hardly ever measured out anything and her crusts were so flaky and moist. I’m a little sad I don’t eat wheat any more because no other flour comes close to making a delicious pie crust!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kelly, I so commensurate with you, I to have had to go the gluten free plan. If anyone finds a good recipe without wheat flour. Please post.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use buttermilk biscuit dough instead of pie crust dough :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.KD
Thank you for a great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am always surprised when folks make chicken pot pie using boneless breast. It tastes so mild to me. I like to saute split breast and thighs with their skin on in a large frying pan. Once the chicken has given off its flavor from the carmelized skin and the marrow in the bones, you’ll have a lovely pan juices and chicken fat to cook your onions in. This will add SO much to the aroma and the taste, you’ll never go back. It only adds a bit of prep time to remove the skin and pull the chicken off the bones, and it’s SO worth it.
I would also recommend adding some poultry seasoning or rosemary just before the onions are done. You’ll get rave reviews! This separates a basic cook from the one who everyone asks, “Wow, how did you make this?”
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Amen, Connie. Amen!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I almost always cook chicken bone in and skin on. The flavor is amazing! If I don’t have time to cook a chicken, I pick up a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s Club and use it in my soups, stews, chicken salad, etc. I just make sure to find one that doesn’t look like it’s been sitting under the heat lamp all day.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kelly,
Thanks for your comments. Fresh is always better but we wanted this recipe to be quick and easy. You know, for those crazy days. Using wild rice instead of instant package of wild rice also makes this soup a bit better.
Yes ma’am! That’s the way to do it :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.But………..I do understand about using the boneless, skinless pieces when you’re pressed for time.
Connie,
You sound like a gourmet cook! I think your suggestions are right on. Thanks for the idea and suggestion.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ha, Jeanne! Not even close. I’m just someone who has been cooking for at least fifty years who watches and learns all she can on Food Network and the Cooking Channel! Years of experience never hurt either. Jillie is great. I love to read her blog and wish I could write my own!
You say “This dough can be divided into individual crust portions, wrapped, and frozen for later use.”, but you don’t mention how many crusts to divide this into? How many crusts does this make?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It makes 2 9″ pie crusts or 3 8″ pie crusts :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Does the crust recipe make just one pie crust or two?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kelly,
The pie crust recipe will make three 8 inch pies or two 9 inch pies. We should have specified. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we have. Thanks for writing in.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is getting confusing about the pie crusts: 2 PIES or 2 Pie CRUSTS????
Help!
I use this same recipe but halved. This recipe should yield 4-6 individual crusts depending on the size of pie you bake.
I loved this recipe except I used half Crisco and half butter. I like the stability the Crisco gives it and I think the butter makes it flakier. This is the easiest pie crust I’ve handled and consistently turns out beautifully. One trick that I picked up is when you are rolling the crust out, flip the crust over (reflouring in between the flip) and this helps prevent the crust from sticking to the counter.
It makes 2 9″ pie crusts or 3 8″ pie crusts.
Gemma, sounds like it’s a computer issue. Do you perhaps have to update your browser or even windows. There has been updates for the browsers (firefox, chrome) and if you don’t have the security update 2 on windows it messes up plenty) Sorry I work in a small private school and trouble shoot computer problems as a side job there and this problem has occurred….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am unsubscrbing because the photos never show on the site anymore. I have not received any replies to my messages regarding the issue, and without the photos you miss out a great deal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Gemma, I think Michelle is on the rite track. I have had this happen at times with email or certain sites and I know how frustrating it is.You are so rite when you say you miss out on a great deal if you can’t see photo’s on Jillee’s site. But given that others can see them (I haven’t had any problems) it’s unlikely anything that they can fix on their end. I always ended up finding it was a setting in my browser or something that either got changed when I added something or updated something or when I thought about it realized I had made a change in the browser I was using or the computer I was using and again I just needed a setting change. But a needed update is as Michelle mentions is also a good possibility. Give some thought to when it started happening (or didn’t as the case might be) and what changes may have happened around that time. One big culprit can be a tool bar addition or even a new or updated internet security program. Just for curiosity give a different browser a try, if you see photo’s there you have narrowed it down to that browsers settings or tool bar’s if not look more to security programs or settings maybe. Computers, can’t live with them can’t live without them, for all the time they can save you they sure can suck it away too… Good luck! Oh the other thing you can do to help you trouble shoot if you don’t have access to tech help is search community help boards for your browser or again security program other people have probably had the problem as well and the help steps might be posted.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also check to see what extensions your browser is running (or has disabled arbitrarily as is the case sometimes with Google Chrome). It may be as simple as re-enabling an extension. Something that has happened to me a couple of times is that new extensions mysteriously get added (probably operator error but we won’t go there). If you look at your extensions and see one that you’re not familiar with or didn’t add yourself; then disable it and that could fix your problem. Good luck
Thank you Gwyn! Those are all great suggestions!!
Gemma – If you are using Internet Explorer like I was…the photos quit showing up because of an out of date browser. I was using Internet Explorer 8, and could not get the pictures to load anymore- IT is out of date.
I switched to Firefox – and now I can click on the “Rea More” button and all is good:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So, in a nutshell, it isn’t Jillee’s fault it is an out of date browser- At least it was for me.
I hope this helps you and you don’t have to miss all the wonderful tips by unsubscribing!
check your computer settings……..need to have some one look at your PC if you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.don’t know how to change….simple click and the ads are gone, and also pict. will be
there…… would hate to not have my JILLEE BLOG AND HINTS/RECIPES…….
Gemma I just sent you an email :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you everyone for your help! I didn’t realize an out of date browser could cause my pictures to not show up!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bet I’m not the only one that the pop-up “Subscribe” annoys! Love your blog, but seriously considering unsubscribing because of the insidious pop-up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I too get annoyed with these popups. I’m thinking of unsubscribing if I have to deal with this.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Julieann! Which pop-ups are you referring to? There should only be one pop-up on my site at this time that shows up once a week. I’m sorry if you are seeing more!
Check your browser settings. I have never once had anything pop-up while visiting this site. I can’t remember where it is as I’m not at all techie, but I think also that Windows has an option to block pop-ups. Maybe you can ask a friend to help if you don’t know where it is. I would be devastated to have to leave Jillee’s blog :(
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Janie! Are you referring to the email subscription pop-up? It should only be showing up once a week. If it’s happening more than that you might have cookies disabled on your browser. The only way for our site to register that you’ve visited is to put a cookie on your browser that stays there for a week. If your cookies are turned off then we have no way to keep the pop-up from showing up for you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is almost the exact same recipe (measurements differ slightly) that my wonderful mother-in-law taught me. I really couldn’t make pie crust until she showed me how to and it was using this recipe. I now LOVE making pies and use many of her pie recipes. She was a pie-maker queen! Thanks for the memories! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Nancy,
This pie crust recipe has been around for some time. The right recipe and a little technique always equal success. Thank you for your comments and happy pie making! We would love to have you share a favorite pie recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The pie crust is almost exactly like the one I have used for over 30 years. It is an excellent crust. I always used Crisco though. I tried others and even lard, but Crisco seemed to make a better crust. Also, if you are making fresh fruit pies to freeze, without baking first, spread a thin layer of crisco on the bottom crust before you put the fruit in. It will keep it better, not soggy, and even if it is in the freezer for a year, will taste like fresh fruit pie when baked! I always did blackberry pies for the whole year!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Vicki,
Thanks for the note. We love the tip on freezing the pie crust. The Crisco must keep it from drying out. What a great idea to use for making pie crust for the Holiday. Thank You!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Me too, Vicki. My mom got this recipe from either a church or grange cookbook years and years ago and it’s the only one anyone in the family uses. And it has to be Crisco. We have passed the recipe on to others that claim they can’t make pie crust, and they are always amazed that it works so well! Good tip about freezing pies, thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Would not use Crisco for anything. It is the worst for your health.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.+1
Worse than putting diesel oil in your food.