In this version of turkey pot pie from the cookbook All Stirred Up about the women’s suffrage movement, Laura Kumin shared her version of a recipe originally printed in 1915 in The Suffrage Cook Book, by L. O. Kleber. Suitable for chicken or turkey and whatever vegetables you have on hand, your family will love this double-crusted comforting pot pie and be celebrating women's suffrage while they eat it!
2pie crustshomemade or store-bought to fit a deep dish pie pan
3cupscooked chicken, cubed or shreddedcan use store-bought rotisserie chicken
4medium Yukon Gold potatoessliced thin or diced
1cuphard vegetablesdiced (carrots, green beans, peas, etc.)
1 ½cupsdiced onion
2tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted or a mixture of butter and olive oil
2tablespoonsall-purpose flour
1 ½ - 1 ¾cups chicken broth(seasoned), homemade or store-bought, heated to a simmer
½cupcream or milkheated to a simmer
1eggfor optional egg wash
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a deep-dish pie pan with one of the pie crusts.
Layer the chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in the pie pan.
Sauté the onions (if you want to) with a bit of butter or olive oil in the medium size pot that you'll use to make the bechamel. Set the onions aside.
In the medium pot, melt the butter (or butter and oil) and add the flour. Cook the flour for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the chicken broth and stir until it thickens slightly. Then add the cream or milk and stir to combine. Mix the onions into the bechamel and pour the liquid over the pot pie.
Put the second pie crust on top, seal the edges by crimping them, and make several slits on the top of the pie to let out the steam. If you want a very golden crust, egg wash it all over.
Bake for approximately 40 - 45 minutes, until the crust is golden, and the pie is steaming.
Let the pie sit for 5 - 10 minutes (or longer) before serving.
Notes
If you don’t pre-cook your hard vegetables (like the carrot and potato) then be sure to dice them small or they could be crunchier than you might like. Ours were not super soft but we loved their firmness – not hard and not soft. If you want larger pieces of vegetables, consider pre-cooking in the microwave for a bit to make sure they are tender enough after the pie is baked.
Feel free to use fresh or dried herbs. Remember that dried herbs pack more flavor so use less than you would fresh.
This recipe can be prepared ahead and baked later in the day or the next day.
Leftovers were great – the crust stayed crisp when reheated, even when I was lazy and popped a small piece in the microwave.