Chicken pot pie with roasted pumpkin, cauliflower, carrots and a touch of roasted garlic swimming in a rich creamy gravy. Too much turkey leftover after a holiday meal? Make this pie with turkey! You will find pasture-raised chicken, eggs, carrots, and Seminole winter squash at the market on Wednesday!
- ½ small cauliflower
- 1 carrot
- ½ onion
- 5 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sage dried
- ¼ small pumpkin or ½ of butternut squash
- salt and pepper
For the chicken pot pie filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots or 1 onion chopped
- 4 sage leaves chopped
- 1-2 rosemary leaves chopped
- 250 g / 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
- 2 cups/500ml chicken stock
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
- 125 ml / ½ cup heavy/double cream
- 2 cubes / ½ cup frozen spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- premade pie crust for 2 small/8 inch pies
- 1 egg beaten
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Cut the cauliflower into florets, carrot into large pieces, pumpkin into 4 inch pieces, onion into quarters. Arrange on a baking sheet, season with salt and dried sage. Scatter unpeeled garlic cloves and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes. (You can do this step up to 2 days ahead)
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the filling. Cook the shallots in olive oil on low heat until soft for 5-7 minutes, add the herbs and cook for 1 minute longer, then add chicken and stock, turn the heat up and bring to a boil, then add cornstarch to thicken it, then add the cream and take it off the heat.
When the vegetables are roasted and cooled, cut them into bite-sized pieces, peel the roasted garlic and mince it. Add the roasted vegetables to the chicken, mix and turn the heat on and bring the mixture to a boil, check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Your liquid should have the consistency of a gravy. If it’s too runny, add more cornstarch to thicken it.
Divide the chicken and roasted vegetable filling into two deep 8 inch pie plates and let it cool slightly. Then cover with a pie crust, press down with a fork into the rim of your pie plates to seal your pot pies. Brush with a beaten egg and cut little slits in the crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 375F/190C for 30 minutes or until golden and the filling is piping hot.
This classic chicken pot pie freezes wonderfully well! You can freeze an unbaked pie right after assembling. Or you can bake it first, then cool completely and freeze in freezer bags. They will keep well in a freezer for up to 2-3 months.
