Take Frozen Pot Pies To The Next Level With These Tricks

Frozen chicken pot pie is a great convenience dish, but with these tips, it doesn't have to taste like a simple meal. One bland frozen pot pie is all it takes to distance yourself from the dish altogether. Fortunately, you won't have to suffer the fate of a tasteless pot pie as Chef Nick Vander Beacon, executive chef at the Bali fine dining restaurant A Paratif, shares his culinary expertise. Chef Nick suggests a simple addition of herbs to upgrade the pies flavor, saying incorporating chopped parsley, thyme, or Rosemary can brighten in the flavor profile and add a burst of freshness. Chef Nick added that small changes like this can make a big difference to the overall flavor. Michael ate an entire family sized chicken pot pie for lunch and then he promptly fell asleep. If you don't have fresh herbs on hand, dried ones added to the filling have a similar effect as they deepen the sauces flavor while fresh ones serve to brighten it. Another simple addition that's often lost on consumers is adjusting the salt level in the filling to their preference or spicing it up with cayenne, black pepper or garlic salt. Adding a non traditional touch with South Asian spices like garam masala, cumin or coriander can serve to transform your dish into a butter chicken or chicken tikka pot pie. Don't let the standard veggies in a store bought pie hold you back from making innovations, As fresh vegetables add a bite to the seemingly homogeneous texture of the frozen varieties. Chef Nick suggests adding sauteed vegetables to enhance the filling, such as mushrooms, bell Peppers, or diced butternut squash, explaining these additions not only improve the texture, but also introduce new flavors that make the pie feel more homemade. If you're open to experimenting with vegetables, try ones from the root family like parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even corn, which can soak flavor in the sauce well and also complement the pies texture. Seasonal vegetables can also be thrown in either by pan frying or roasting in the oven beforehand to release their juices. Whichever ones you choose, don't make the error of adding raw, uncooked vegetables to your pot pie filling as it's a sure way to downgrade the dish. I'm not sure about you, but we've often fantasized about a pot pie with a creamier filling instead of the glob like chicken soup that usually makes it up. Chef Nick tells us this idea isn't far fetched and easily achievable by making small tweaks to your frozen pot pie filling. He recommends enriching the sauce by stirring in a bit of cream or a dollop of Creme fresh, which makes for a creamier and more indulgent filling. And we're going to top that with a little cream fresh. Of course, that's not the only form of dairy you can incorporate, so try mixing in cream cheese, butter, half and half or shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese in your next attempt as they serve to make the filling even richer. However, if you're low on cream or don't want to splurge on different varieties of cheese, a good alternative which serves the same purpose is plain milk. Once added to your pies pre made filling and cooked over a low flame, it achieves a similarly creamy texture as cream would and is just as delicious. The glossy Sheen on bakery pies isn't just from the expertise of a pastry chef, but comes from a pretty simple ingredient, eggs. According to Chef Nick, the secret to getting that professional bakery look for your pot pies is to use an egg wash on the surface before popping them in the oven. As he explains, for the crust, I like brushing it with an egg wash and sprinkling it with a mix of sea salt and herbs before baking. This gives the crust a beautiful golden color and a satisfying crunch. Egg wash isn't only for the look, it's also a great tool to prevent your crust from sinking on the filling while baking. This happens when the butter in your crust melts faster than the pastry has a time to cook, usually a result of using a hot filling straight out of the pan. Store bought items like a pot pie can seem lacking on their own, but paired with sides that complement the pies flavor, they can round out the meal and serve to enhance presentation. Great sides include roasted vegetables like asparagus, carrots, potatoes, or whichever ones are seasonally available. Ideally, you want something that won't clash with your pot pie too much, like mashed potatoes which are too similar in texture. Avoid biscuits as well, as they'll be much like the crust. A Reddit thread on this same topic suggested serving store bought pot pies with a zesty side salad. Some interesting sides users shared included cranberry sauce, freshly cut fruits, corn on the cob, spiced apples, and even applesauce. Admittedly, the top crust is what puts the pot in pot pie, but that doesn't mean you need to limit yourself to the upper crust. Frozen pot pies can sometimes offer an imbalanced crust to filling ratio, resulting in more pastry per bite than creamy filling. A simple way to elevate the flavor in the frozen variety and give it better texture is to alter the top crust with shredded cheese or bread crumbs. Cheeses like your usual cheddar can give a pretty evenly dispersed top that's reminiscent of a lasagna, but try other varieties like Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, fresh mozzarella, Havarti, or provolone for an even richer flavor. The choice is yours on how much to add, say when. For bread crumbs, there's few better than panko made from crustless white bread, which gives it a lightness and results in a crispier crumb. Top your pie filling with a layer of panko to replace the top crust, which will give a crunchy bite to your pie. Another way is to brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle the panko on top. This helps avoid the brittle texture that top crust can acquire during baking while waiting to develop color and also cuts down on any burnt bits. The frozen chicken pot pies aluminum foil packaging makes it convenient to bake and eat all in one, but disrupts the proper bite with an even amount of pastry and filling. The solution is to do what the folks at Eater suggest for a foolproof bite. After the pie is done baking, simply flip it upside down on a plate and eat it this way for an evenly cut slice with the perfect balance of crunchy crust and creamy filling in every bite. For larger frozen pot pies, another trick is to actually cook the entire pie upside down, which can prevent the dreaded dry upper crust and soggy bottom crust problem. Although there's nothing easier than throwing a store bought pot pie in the oven for a quick dinner, some slightly more complicated changes can turn this frozen dinner into a homemade meal. For example, leave the dry and bland bits of chicken breast used in most pot pie fillings behind for a more flavorful alternative like rotisserie chicken. Not only is rotisserie chicken juicy, but also much more well seasoned than the one used in pie fillings. Simply break up pieces of it and mix them into the pre made filling. You can always use leftover rotisserie chicken from an at home attempt, but some store bought varieties trump all. Other delicious alternatives that can upgrade your pot pie include whatever leftover protein you have on hand, whether it's a roast chicken, Turkey from Thanksgiving dinner, a beef mince, and even vegetarian or vegan options like tofu. If you're willing to get really elaborate with your frozen pot pie, you can essentially rebuild your pie from the ground up. For the filling of your pot pies, start by picking up the solid pieces of chicken and vegetables and place them in a separate bowl. For the new sauce, make a simple Roux by melting butter in a pan and adding flour, whisking to combine, followed by your choice of chicken or vegetable broth. You don't want a sauce that's too thin to risk making your pie soggy. To adjust your sauce's consistency, RE Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman, suggests adding a slurry of cornstarch and water to the thin sauce and adjusting the consistency to your liking with more broth or milk. If you really want the chicken flavor to shine through in the sauce, just chicken chunks and broth won't do. For this, Ina Garten's pot pie recipe suggests adding chicken bouillon cubes to your filling as it's cooking. This trick will add a savory Tang to your sauce and limit the need to add any additional salt as well. Now just mix in the bowl of chicken and vegetables to your newly prepared rich sauce and bake with the packaged crusts. Tired of a soggy crust in your pies? You're not alone. This singular error can ruin a perfectly good crust and the frozen ones found in chicken pot pies seem especially prone to suffering this ordeal and all your crust related woes once and for all with two simple tips that ensure the pastry bakes all the way through and at the same time as the top crust. The 1st way is to blind bake your crust before a final bake with the filling and top crust according to the kitchen. Simply layout your rolled dough in your dish. Place a sheet of baking paper on top, weighed down by raw beans or pie weights, so the crust doesn't rise while baking. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes with the weights and for 5 minutes with the weights removed until the bottom looks dry. Another relatively easy way to avoid an uncooked bottom crust is to monitor the pie as it bakes. The soggy bottom issue often arises when we remove a pie from the oven after a set baking time, not checking to make sure it's done all the way. By baking your frozen pot pies in a glass dish, you can monitor its progress with quick and careful peaks and watch as the bottom gains color before removing it from the oven. If an indulgent filling is what makes you inclined to bake and eat more pot pies, we bring the ultimate indulgence, alcohol. Then I remembered that alcohol existed. Thank you, alcohol. Although wine is often used in cooking, you might not have seen it used in a pot pie before. Martha Stewart's spirit of choice is cognac, which she uses to deglaze the pan after sauteing the vegetables. Stewart says cognac adds a depth of flavor to the sauce owing to its sweet, spicy, bitter or fruity flavors with notes of vanilla, orange, and caramel. If you don't have cognac or it's not your preferred alcohol, Chef Nick suggests adding a splash of white wine to the filling, which gives the filling a similar depth of flavor. Quantity is key here as you don't want to add too much to overpower the filling or too little to go unnoticed. Stewart uses 1/2 cup in her recipe for six large ramekin sized servings of pot pies. Of course, you don't have to make the filling from scratch for a frozen pot pie. Simply heat up the prepared filling and once bubbling, add your choice of alcohol in small quantities, tasting as you go until it's to your liking. If the crust on a store bought pie seems too plain, try making one of your own to achieve that. Buttery pastry and shiny golden top homemade pie crust is usually more flavorful and holds well while baking, and is less prone to suffering the soggy bottom fate of the frozen variety. The Pioneer Woman's trick is to chill the dough in the freezer for a minimum 15 to 20 minutes wrapped in plastic before rolling it out in baking. This helps the dough remain firm while cooking and retain structure from the chilled fat in a rush. You can also top the pot pie with other frozen doughs like a puff pastry, filo pastry, biscuits or a Crescent roll dough and forgo the bottom crust altogether. However, the best way to amp up this dish is by redoing the filling. Additions like noodles or a thin pasta such as fettuccine alongside vegetables, a rich sauce or even canned soup can quickly transform the pre made meal into a homemade one of your own.