A dreamy Chicken Curry Pot Pie in my pretty KitchenAid Casserole

I am in love with my KitchenAid 4-Piece Nesting Casserole Set. This is going to be the first of two posts about it this week, because I have been finding ways to use any which one of the ceramic casseroles whenever a recipe calls for some sort of deep baking dish. It’s such a versatile thing to have in your collection, because you can use it for both savories or sweets. Today we’re going with something savoury: this delicious Chicken Curry Pot Pie.

There are two things that I love the most about these KitchenAid Nesting Casseroles: Firstly, they look so incredibly polished when you serve things in them. And secondly, they keep your food warm forever. Well not forever, but I was so surprised that even by the end of a liesurely lunch the leftover pie was still really warm. None of the other casseroles we own have ever kept our food warm for that long.

Oh, and let’s add a third point to that: Since these are stackable, there’s not much hassle when storing them in the cupboard! I recommend storing them at a lower level though as these are fairly heavy.

For this recipe I’m using the second biggest casserole. It’s pretty much the perfect size for making pies, I think, because it’s not too big and not too small. It can hold over 1 litre of content. The biggest one will be great for roasting chicken and making lasagna (watch out for recipes in the future!), and the smaller ones can be used to make dips or solo entrées. Like I said, I’m seriously thinking about what I’ll be using these for!

Today’s recipe is a really delicious one for my fellow curry lovers. It takes your classic chicken pot pie recipe and gives it a little twist by adding some spunky kick, and quite frankly it’s the best version of a chicken pot pie I’ve ever made. Talking about it is making my mouth water again!

Let me just walk you through this recipe. I realize it kind of requires a bit of preparation but I promise it will be worth it in the end! Start by making your pie dough, which I recommend you do the night before you make the actual pie. (That’s my SOP for any pie I make.)

When making dual-crust pies, I like to divide the dough into two from the get-go (for top and bottom) so I don’t have to cut it up when it’s been refrigerated solid.

When you’re ready to make the pie the next day, add some salt and pepper to your chicken to season it, then brown them in a pan with some hot butter. Butter tends to add more flavour than oil so I recommend sticking to it. Also, the size of the chicken is entirely up to your preference. I personally like chunky bite-sized pieces.

Take the browned chicken out of the pan for a moment and cook the onions this time, also with butter. Add garlic, then the tomato paste, flour, as well as the curry. You can use curry powder, or those super flavourful Japanese curry cubes. I prefer the latter as I find them more tasty. If you’re having a hard time melting the whole cube you can cut it up with your spatula as you cook. The curry cubes will melt into the liquids once you add them in the next step anyway.

Stirring constantly, drizzle in the coconut milk slowly before adding in the chicken stock. (Do not pour the whole thing in to avoid burning the coconut milk!) At this point the curry will be fairly runny, but less than 10 minutes’ worth of stirring thickens the curry up just right.

The slightly thickened curry sauce perfectly coats each and every piece of chicken and carrots and potatoes and peas that you add in with that beautiful vivid sheen and lovely flavour. The best part about homemade pot pie is how much control you have over the filling. I really don’t recommend skipping on the cilantro with this one, though I understand if you opt out of the peas. Just sub with whatever you like in your curry, like cashew nuts maybe. Take it off the heat to cool down a little while you assemble your pie.

Take your prepared dough and roll them both out into a thin layer. (Even thinner than what I have in my photo if you can. I did this part in a hurry so I didn’t roll it out as much.) I recommend going as thin as your dough will allow so that your pie crusts won’t bake into very thick layers. This dough is easy to handle, and if you’re rolling it out to fit your KitchenAid casserole, remember to roll it into an oblong-ish shape rather than round like you would a normal pie crust. It should fit into your KitchenAid casserole no problem, but it’s best if you make it bigger than your casserole actually.

Now just pour in all of your filling. I didn’t encounter any sogginess problems with the crust at all.

The other half of the dough should be rolled out in the same manner, but if you’re going for a lattice crust like what I did, cut the dough into long strips. Personally, I like lattice crusts because not only is it decorative, it allows your crust to have some natural air pockets for the pie filling to “breathe” as it bakes. You basically just have to alternate the strips until you get a weaving pattern. If you’re not in the mood for something like this, you can totally just put a whole crust on top. Just poke some areas with a fork for air pockets.

Don’t forget to crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork to seal the pie together! Do that before you brush the crust with some egg wash and pop the pie in the oven.

The pie does take nearly an hour to cook, so plan accordingly. It comes out a most lovely golden hue, with some bubbly reddish curry peeking from the lattice top! You can place your pie plate on top of a baking sheet if you’re scared the filling will bubble over.

And once you cut into it and see all that lovely curry inside. Ooh la la… I’m getting hungry right now. All my fellow curry-lovers out there, give me a shout out why don’t you! 😉

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Chicken Curry Pot Pie

Redefining the classic chicken pot pie by using chicken curry as the filling instead!

Makes one 9-inch pie, good for 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

For the crust

• 2½ cups 300 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup 113 grams cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ cup 120 ml cold water
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

For the filling

• 3 tablespoons 42 grams unsalted butter, divided use
• 455 grams uncooked chicken, cubed into 1/4-inch size
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
• 140 grams onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 square of Japanese curry cube, or 1 tablespoon curry powder*, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 445 mL can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup 237 mL chicken stock
• 280 grams potatoes, cubed
• 140 grams carrots, cubed
• 150 grams peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving

Instructions

Make the crust

• 1. In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Using a pastry cutter or pair of knives (or your hands really), incorporate the cubed cold butter into the flour until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Stream in the cold water and continue to work the dough until it starts to come together but is still crumbly, about 10 seconds.
• 
• 2. Divide the dough onto two pieces of plastic wrap and shape each half into a disk. Wrap snuggly and chill for 2 hours or up to 5 days.

Make the filling

• 3. Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. To a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add seasoned chicken into the pan, careful not to overcrowd to ensure even cooking. (Cook in batches if needed) Cook chicken until edges turn golden brown, about 5 minutes on the first side. Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• 
• 4. Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add the onions and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until aromatic. Stir in the tomato paste, curry, and flour.
• 
• 5. Add the coconut milk gradually while whisking constantly to avoid burning it, then add the chicken stock. Cook until thickened and slightly reduced, stirring frequently to avoid burning and to make sure it is well-combined. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes.
• 
• 6. Add in the cooked chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cilantro, and add additional salt and pepper to taste. (If you think the curry flavour is lacking, feel free to add more to taste.) Remove from heat to let cool, at least 10 minutes. Adding in the filling when it's too hot might make the crust soggy.

Assemble the pie

• 7. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). On a floured surface, roll out one of the disks to a rough 13-inch oval, making sure it is bigger than your KitchenAid cermaic dish (or roll out to a circle if using a regular pie plate). Transfer dough to the pie dish. Roll out the second disk of dough into a large oval (or circle). Cut into strips for a lattice** or keep intact for a traditional pie crust.
• 
• 8. Pour the filling into your KitchenAid ceramic dish with the bottom crust fitted inside, and top with your second prepared pie crust. (I personally love using a lattice top for pies as it provides natural vents for steam to escape as the pie bakes.) Trim edges of the crust to at most a 1 inch overhang, then pinch or crimp together with a fork to seal the pie.
• 
• 9. Brush crust with egg wash (and cut or poke vents on the top crust if not using lattice). Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbly, 45 to 60 minutes. If the crust browns too quickly in your oven, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time.
• 
• 10. Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve. If baking the pie ahead of time, reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the same manner.

Notes

* I used the S&B Golden Curry brand since it's my favourite. You can use a combination of both curry powder and cube, but I just find the Japanese curry cubes more flavourful.
** My lattice strips were sliced using a pizza cutter that has a ruffled blade. Hence the design!

Adapted from Completely Delicious blog

Full disclosure: This post was sponsored by KitchenAid Philippines. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please like KitchenAid on Facebook to know their latest promos and events!