Elevate this comfort food classic with tips from a professional chef.
Is there anything cozier than a hot, flaky chicken pot pie for dinner?
Nashville chef Star Maye is a U.S. Navy veteran with 20 years of experience in the cooking game.
Photo: bhofack2/Getty Images
Lean on Lard
Chef Star’s go-to pie crust ingredient?
“As a Southerner, for me, it’s lard!”
When used in a pie crust, lard yields a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
John Kernick
Since butter has more water content than lard, a one-for-one swap doesn’t quite work.
Instead, reduce the amount of lard by 25 percent.
Stray From the Classics
Go ahead and play around with the vegetables in your chicken pot pie.
Victor Protasio
One of Maye’s favorite combinations is caramelized onions,mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes.
Feel free to switch up the meat, too, or even skip it.
Alternatively, a nice blend of vegetables can make a super-satisfying vegetarian pot pie.
Sang An
Make Some Empanadas
Hear us out on this one!
Pot pie filling is by no means a traditional empanada filling, but it’s an undeniably delicious one.
More Chicken Pot Pie Recipes
There’s nothing wrong with using a recipe loaded with shortcuts.
Antonis Achilleos
Start by sauteing veggies, and then add flour and broth for a creamy filling.
This recipe uses puff pastry instead of a typical pie crust for an easier, flakier result.
A store-bought pie crust helps this dish come together quickly enough to serve on a busy weeknight.
Marcus Nilsson
Greg DuPree
Tom Schierlitz
Cara Cormack
Roland Bello
