The beauty of leftover turkey is making this creamy and delicious turkey pot pie. It is comfort food at it’s best, and a recipe that I have made for years, and it’s a favourite.
Turkey has a distinct gaming flavour that I love, when you make this flavourful poultry meat, it is important to keep in mind how you want to cook it. Turkey tends to take on flavours of whatever you add to it. I love adding herbs and spices. With this pot pie recipe, by adding chicken stock and a heavy cream, it adds so much flavour and tenderness to the turkey. The vegetables I added compliment this turkey recipe. Keeping the traditional herbs that are usually added to turkey, has you thinking you are eating a roast turkey dinner, and honestly you will be scraping your dish clean.
This recipe isn’t complicated and the ingredients are straight-forward, and you can add broccoli, corn, or any other vegetables you like. My pastry recipe is easy and makes the perfect flaky crust.
Recipe Ingredients:
Pastry Dough:
- flour
- salt
- butter
- ice water
Filling:
Turkey: you can incorporate all turkey breast for this recipe, or add a combination of turkey breast or thigh meat. Either way, they outcome is delicious. Although, this recipe is perfect for using the turkey breast. Chicken can always be substituted for this recipe.
Onion: when you sauté cooking onions, it releases a natural rich flavour that adds a lovely flavour to this pot pie
Carrots: is commonly added to a pot pie, for it’s lovely colour and texture.
Celery: is often added for some texture and flavour as well
Chicken stock: is recommended, but a vegetable broth would work nicely as well
Whipping cream: adds a rich creamy consistency, and my favourite is Harmony Organic Heavy Cream. You can always substitute a bechamel sauce.
Broccoli or Peas: either one of these vegetables are favourites to add
Thyme and sage: both of these are a traditional herbs to add with turkey, with lots of flavour
Suggestions:
When deciding how to serve this recipe, keep in mind, the quantity of the recipe. This recipe will make one 9 inch pie dish or 4 – 8 oz individual over proof bowls.
You can substitute the turkey for chicken. You can use dark meat such as thighs, or breasts.
The vegetables I like to add to this pot pie are flavourful, they add colour, texture and compliment each other.
The pastry recipe requires a resting time of a minimum of 30 minutes. I would suggest to make the pastry dough first or the day before.
Recommended Individual oven proof bowls and 9 inch Pie plate:
12oz Mini Cocotte, by Kook, Casserole Dish, Ceramic Make, Easy to Lift Lid, Gray, Set of 4
KOOV Ceramic Pie Pan, 9 Inches Pie Plate, Pie Dish for Dessert Kitchen, Round Baking Dish Pan for Dinner, Wrapping Upgrade, Reactive Glaze (Nebula Blue)
Classic Turkey Pot Pie with Flaky Pastry
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate or 4 - 8 oz individual oven-proof bowls
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup ice water
Filling:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth)
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/3 cup broccoli, chopped (or frozen peas)
- 2 cups cooked turkey breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Pastry: in a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut butter into pieces into the flour mixture, and using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands break the butter into pea size pieces.
- In a measuring cup, add cold water and ice. Gradually add the ice water a little at a time, gathering the flour into the center of the bowl. I like to use my hands, and once the dough has formed a large disc, wrap in plastic saran and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes or overnight. Handle the dough as little as possible to prevent it from becoming tough.
- Filling: In a large skillet, at medium temperature, melt half of the butter. Add the onion and carrots and sauté for 4 minutes, add celery, and sauté for another minute. Then add the remaining butter and once melted, add flour stirring to create a paste like roux.
- Slowly stir in chicken stock. Bring sauce to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute stirring constantly as it thickens.
- Add the cream, broccoli/peas, turkey, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Simmer 1 minute stirring. Should have a nice thick creamy consistency.
- Heat oven to 400°F. Prepare the pastry dough by following the instructions on the recipe on my blog.
- On lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a circle measuring the size of baking dish, to ½ inch thickness. Lay the pastry into the 9” baking dish. Pour turkey mixture into pastry lined dish. Roll another circular pastry to fit the top of the chicken mixture and lay over the baking dish and trim off excess. With a fork, press the pastry to the rim to seal. Lightly whisk the egg and brush the pastry all over the egg wash. Cut slits to allow heat to escape during cooking. (Option #2: pour the filling into the terracotta individual pots and top each with pastry dough, add egg wash, seal edges and cut slits to allow heat to escape.
- Bake the turkey pot pie until the pastry is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, before serving.
- Serve with salad, and/or crusty bread.
Nutrition
How to make this recipe:
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut butter into pieces into the flour mixture, and using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands break the butter into pea size pieces. Gradually add ice water and form the dough into a disc and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, at medium temperature, melt half of the butter. Add the onion and carrots and sauté for 4 minutes, add celery, and sauté for another minute. Then add the remaining butter and once melted, add flour stirring to create a paste like roux. Slowly stir in chicken stock. Bring sauce to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute stirring constantly as it thickens. Add the cream, broccoli/peas, turkey, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer 1 minute stirring. Should have a nice thick creamy consistency.
Two options:
The alternative to baking your turkey pot pie is adding the filling into individual terra cotta oven proof bowls/dishes and top each with the pastry dough. Give a final egg wash before placing it in the oven.
Lay the top layer over the pot pie filling and press the edges with a fork to seal and avoid from the filling from spilling out while baking. Then brush with egg wash to give the pie a golden colour and crispy topping.
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. When serving it as a pie, as a side you can add a garden salad. Pies will require additional time to cool and set, another 5- 10 minutes.
When serving it as individual bowls, allow some to time to set and waiting to cool down some, about 15 minutes. Either way of preparing this dish, works out beautifully when it comes to presentation and how delicious this dish is.
The rich creamy deliciousness has you making this dish often once you have tasted this recipe. Serve it with crusty bread and or salad. Don’t forget to dip!
