How to Store Chicken Pot Pie, Unbaked?

[mrs. g]

Hello from England! I have a little predicament...I'm cooking chicken pot pie for a family whose son just had surgery. He was expected home today but has to stay in the hospital until tomorrow now. I'll be leaving town tomorrow, so I have to deliver tonight. I want it to be as fresh as possible...what should I do? I'm using ready-made frozen pie crusts and the chicken/veg filling is already prepared. Should I bring the filling and the crusts over and let her assemble or can I put it together and store in the fridge with uncooked crust? Should I partially bake it, then store in fridge, and let her finish the baking when ready to serve? Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[mezzaluna]

Hello Mrs. G. and welcome to Chef Talk. I'm going to move your question to a different forum, but first I thought I'd reply since I've made many dozen chicken pot pies and frozen them successfully.

My father-in-law was very ill and it seemed that chicken pot pies were compatable with his appetite. Here's what I did:

I made a recipe of simple pie crust in the food processor, enough for two 9" pies. I cut the disk of dough into six portions and covered five 5" casserole dishes into which I put the cooked pie filling. The filling was made from three boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I poached first. I sauteed some chopped leek, carrot, celery and parsley in butter, then added some flour and let it cook a couple of minutes. Then I added chicken broth, white wine and a touch of sherry. When that thickened, I added the cubed chicken breast and dished the filling into the little casseroles. When the filling was cold (I put them in the fridge for 30 minutes), I brushed the top rim of the casseroles with a little egg wash, then sealed the top with a crust. I brushed the crust with egg wash and cut a couple of slits for vents. Then I wrapped each one tightly and put them in the freezer. My mother-in-law defrosted the pie in her fridge before baking for 35 minutes or so.

The trick was, there was no lower crust- only a top one. When I had time, I decorated the crusts with little dough leaves, vines, etc.

Does that answer your query? You're a good-hearted person to do the cooking for that family.
Best wishes,
Mezzaluna