Attention my fellow Thanksgiving celebrating Canadians! You need to make these turkey pot pies with your leftovers. They're the epitome of comfort food. Plus you can freeze 'em.
If you're here for the story settle in & get a coffee because I have more to say about my long relationship with pot pies and any normal person should. If you're here for the recipe click right to it.
This is - for real - a delicious turkey pot pie recipe. I know because I have very acute memories from my childhood to compare it to. The sound of the little cardboard box opening, the frost covered mini aluminum pan landing on the counter with a thud.
Always, ALWAYS with a bottle of ketchup and canned peas served through the blue cloud of Craven 'A's. Some nights if we were very lucky and the pot pies had been sitting in the freezer for long enough we could actually taste the metallic aluminum with every bite.
These kind of meals were pretty common in my neighbourhood at the time. Every kid who ran outside after dinner to play a quick game of hide & seek either had fish sticks, frozen pot pies or canned mushroom soup on their breath.
Mothers worked, frozen stuff was always on sale and kids would eat it because it was a non threatening shade of beige and all pretty much tasted the same; like salt.
Years later, when I had moved out on my own, I picked up a frozen chicken pot pie I realized they were actually gross. The great pot pie recipe development began.
I found a recipe online that acted as a good base and over the years I've changed it over and over again until it's now ready to present to the world.
Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
This is an easy recipe. Don't worry about it. You can do it. But when I say easy, I mean it isn't difficult to make, but you ARE going to make it, from scratch.
The best part is you can use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving to make it, which is exactly what these you're looking at are made out of. After Thanksgiving I stripped the remaining meat off of my turkey and a neighbour's donated turkey carcass.
Those two turkeys gave me over 20 jars of delicious turkey broth (here's my recipe) and several of these delicious dinners.
You can make your own pie dough or just use a frozen crust. You can make it BIG or you can make small individual ones. I used disposable aluminum pie tins from the Dollar store but I just saw that Amazon has reusable 5" pie plates that would be perfect for meat pies.
PASTRY TIP: For a perfectly balanced crust use 60% butter and 40% lard. 100% lard and your crust will be so flaky it'll fall apart. 100% butter and it'll be too dense. I find 60/40 is the perfect ratio.
However, having said that, I often just do 50/50 because I'm math lazy. This is the genuine classic Canadian Tenderflake pastry recipe. It is now the only one I use. It. Will. Never. Fail you.
You can make it with more sauce or drier with less sauce. It, like all recipes, should be adapted to your own tastes.
It's filled with chunks of turkey (you can use chicken if that's what you have), peas, carrots and seasoning. Nothing weird. Nothing you won't have on hand. Well ... except the celery seed. You might not have that and it is CRUCIAL. The celery seed is what gives it that indescribable but delicious flavour.
It took a while to figure out the ratio of liquids I liked. I like the pot pie to be creamy and gravy filled but I don't want it to be so filled with gravy that it oozes all over the plate when you cut into it. If you're an oozer I've got you covered in the recipe, with an adaptation for you.
If you're short on time (say maybe it's a weeknight) you can make a quick version of this recipe by taking these shortcuts:
- Use a precooked chicken. (if you don't have leftover turkey)
- Use frozen pie crusts.
- Use frozen peas and carrots. (you can get a mixed bag and use that!)
- Use 2.5 cups of canned chicken/turkey gravy.
DELICIOUS AND EASY TURKEY POT PIE
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked turkey cubed or shredded
- 1 cup carrots diced small
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup celery sliced thin
- ⅓ cup butter*
- ⅓ cup flour*
- ⅓ cup onion diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- 2 cups chicken broth*
- ½ cup milk*
- 2 unbaked pie crusts
- *If you like a pot pie with a lot of gravy oozing out of it then double these ingredients.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C)
- Combine carrots, peas and celery in a pot with the chicken broth.
- Bring it to the boil then simmer it with the lid on until veg are tender.
- Remove vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl.
- (DO NOT DRAIN AWAY YOUR BROTH ... you'll need it later)
- Cook onions in butter in a saucepan until translucent.
- Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and celery seed.
- Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and the milk.
- Simmer until thick and gravy like.
- (NOTE: if you have gravy leftover from Thanksgiving dinner you can simply use that as your gravy base and omit the broth and milk. You'll need 2 ½ cups of gravy.
- Add the vegetables and chicken to your saucepan of gravy and mix.
- Pour mixture into pie shells, cover with top crusts and seal.
- Cut slits into top of crust so steam can get out.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden.
Notes
An Even Easier Way.
- Use a precooked chicken. (if you don't have Thanksgiving leftovers)
- Use frozen pie crusts.
- Use frozen peas and carrots. (you can get a mixed bag and use that!)
- Use 2.5 cups of canned chicken/turkey gravy.
Nutrition
The really great part about these delicious pot pies is the fact that you can make it in advance and then pop them in the freezer. Just like mom used to make.
You bet! You can make these in advance and then freeze them unbaked until you're ready to eat them.
Again, yes! If you've made extra filling you can freeze that for up to a year for best quality.
It's really a whole meal in itself, but if you like to have a side (I do!) then serve it with a salad. Roasted carrots or peas would also work really well with it and if you want to go BIG a classic side dish for pot pie is french fries.
You can do whatever you want with this pot pie! Add mushrooms (I mean, supergross, but you might like it), take away peas, use no top crust ... do whatever you want. This is how I make it and how I like it best. Use this as a guide. But if you don't put peas in it people will think you're a weirdo. You know, normal people who like peas.
Because the pot pies have a good amount of gravy but aren't *too* saucy, the crust stays crisp. If you aren't going to cook them right away make sure you freeze the pot pies. If you just refrigerate them, they'll soak the pastry and could be soggy when you cook them.
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Hey Karen!
In your Oct. 4 pie crust recipe you stated you prefer a ratio of 60% lard and 40% butter but your pastry tip above has the ratio percentage flipped. Is that because it's a meat pie instead of dessert pie?
By the way, I used your 50/50 recipe and I have to say that was the easiest pie dough I've ever worked with in addition to being tasty and flakey. Plus it's still flakey the next day. (I know because I had a piece of cherry pie for breakfast! That's legal, right?)
Also, living in Louisiana, Tenderflake lard is not in the local grocery store so thank Goodness for Amazon!
Shoot! It is supposed to be 60% lard, 40% butter. I'll fix that. See?? This is why I say to just go with 50/50, lol. ~ karen!
I don't think I like chickurkey pot pie, but I've only ever had frozen so who's to say for sure. Guess I'll have to try this to determine.
A couple of questions from the post and comment sections... is it REALLY hard to find Crisco in stores nowadays? I'll admit I haven't looked forever, but still. Now I'll have to put it on my list and do some Nancy Drewing. And I have never ever heard of having fries with pot pie. Is that really a widely known thing and I've just been oblivious this whole time?
Oh, snap... no mushrooms is a deal-breaker dear. All this time I was thinking you'd be my perfect husband. 🤣🤣
Mushrooms?! You like ... mushrooms? Ohhellno. O.K. so we've established that this is never going to work out. However, you can still sauté some mushrooms and put them in there. Just don't invite me over. ~ karen!
I tried this recipe a few years ago and it is simply the BEST. As Karen says the celery seed is essential. I use store bought crusts, half again the "gravy" recipe and eliminate the pepper. The latter is just personal preference. Sooooo good.
I'm glad you like it! And they're SO great to have in the freezer ready to pull out anytime! ~ karen
Is this recipe for 2 standard size pies or the little ones?
Hi Jenny! This is for 4 very large individual pot pies. (One can serve two people) ~ karen!
I do have all of these ingredients! Except the chicken/turkey... I have made it with cream in the past or half/half with very nice results. This sounds very good - will probably give it a whirl! Saves money buying them off the Hutterites... They're good, but spendy little buggers.
Hi Karen
Does the bottom crust cook through with the yummies inside or do you have to prebake and then fill. You have the best recipes, etc.etc. Plus they look so inviting.
I'd add a pinch of ground coriander seeds. In fact, I add coriander seeds to just about every savory dish I cook.
Too bad it’s not Thanksgiving in Canada. Now I’m craving Chicken Pot Pie. Good thing it’s nearly Christmas. My recipe is very similar to yours except that I make homemade biscuits instead of a pie crust.
Never ever would I use canned gravy.
I will eat my computer after I push send on this. Don't get me wrong - I love that you gave the quickie cooked chicken, canned gravy, frozen peas, carrots and store-bought pastry version for when we don't succumb first to purchasing the frozen tV dinner version (and then for when we haven't time to have just made the full out chicken/turkey, gravy feast whilst also having lard, butter, celery seeds and enough energy to make our own pie crust afterward). I sincerely can picture doing the long version at some point. You really know how to get us to use our imaginations. I love that.
i only saw one ad - maybe I'm not a good counter
Hey Brenda! It's a perfect receip for if you're feeling "Martha" or not so "Martha". :) ~ karen!
This is on my to do list.
While you're tidying up you should remove the "class='broken link'" from the 5" pans on Amazon as it definitely works.
Recipe title, “ Delicious And Easy TURKEY Pot Pie”...
Main ingredient, “ One pound of cooked CHICKEN...”
Hmmmm.
LOL, they're interchangeable. Turkey or Chicken. ~ karen!
I have NO idea why those broken links come up as broken. They do it all the time with the Amazon links and I'm constnatly going in and saying the link is NOT broken. I'll do this one right now, thanks. ~ karen!
You're a wonder! Is there anything you don't do to perfection? I'm going to try this recipe this week, as I haven't had a decent pot pie since my childhood. The pie crust recipe is a great one too. And, your photos are amazing.
I made this last night to use up some leftover chicken from a previous broth-making, and also because my kids love pot pie. I did cheat with store bought crust because it was a work night, but I otherwise followed your recipe. I didn't eat the finished pie, because I hate peas and I sacrifice for my family like that, but it smelled like heaven, the bite of the filling I tried after pushing the peas aside was SO delicious, and my kids inhaled it. This is a definite keeper - Thanks!
I'm so glad you liked it Karin! Well, sort of liked it, lol. It really is a good recipe. ~ karen!
hey Karen, I found a NYtimes article with Turkey Pho - made my own version with chicken carcass (well, I am Canadian so no turkey right now). OMFG it is SOOOOO good. AND I forgot the salt, didn't have fish sauce, and half the time forget the lime juice. Take-aways? Make your broth with a thumb of ginger and 3 star anise thingies. and about 1/4 cup of brown sugar. (and, if you remember, some salt would be a good idea). cool and strain and drain and then, when you are ready to eat, heat the broth, throw in your chopped turkey or chicken. Meanwhile boil water and cook rice vermacelli noodles (3-4 minutes). Chop up some cilantro and green onions and (if you remember to buy them) bean sprouts. put broth and chicken/ turkey into a bowl., add the noodles, garnish with green stuff. drizzle with lime sauce and soya and sesame and maybe siracha or anything, actually. Slurp up with fork/chopstix/spoon. YUM.
Next time I am SO pressure canning this. this time? I am SOOOO taking it for lunch, over and over....
Good to know! I probably (definitely) wouldn't do my whole batch of broth like that because .. well ... I need my broth. But I'll be trying the recipe to make my own Pho with my canned broth. :) Thx. ~ karen!
yeah, glad that #1 son has moved home, he eats leftovers the way they are designed to be eaten!
AND I have a lot of canned (pressure canned) broth so can be all free and easy about making Pho.... because I can.
I really enjoyed your blog but it has become overcrowded with ads. So many that I have to delete them so that I can get through your blog. I know this is the way that you earn your income but it use to not be this way. Good Luck!
Thanks Marilyn! Good luck to you too! ~ karen
That sounds so delicious! My husband is a vegetarian and I'm always at a loss on what to do with all of the turkey leftovers we're sent home with. I'm absolutely going to be making some of these pies and freezing them for a later day.
Don't do what I do, which is forget every good recipe I find on the Internet, lol. Make 'em! :) ~ karen
Karen, thanks for the awesome recipe!! I absolutely love your squash soup and garnish and added roasted pumpkin as I had it on hand and it was incredible! Every week we have your soup! The garnish is wonderful too. We'll have to add this pot pie to the mix. Thanks for the recipe and I look forward to your next post!!
Mmmmm nice recipe Karen!.👍I love leftover turkey pot pie more than just plain turkey. if I have leftover stuffing, I make the turkey and vegetable filling and put it in a Pyrex with the stuffing spread on top instead of crust. It gets crispy and is delicious
omg. genius! ~ karen
please, can I come to your house?
It really was heartbreaking - that first frozen pot pie as an adult...
Thanks for the reminder. I used to make the broth from the carcass, after stripping off all the meat and would make the turkey pies. I have also made Tea biscuit dough, rolled it out and used the turkey filling to make Turkey Pinwheels. They are great with gravy and cranberry. And of course, canned peas. All of these were in the Five Roses Cookbook I bought in 1968 as a bride in my new kitchen. I have lost 2 over the years as I moved. (Offerings to the Moving Gods, no doubt). My 3rd one is nice, but they are getting harder to find.