Anyone who knows me well knows that Chicken Pot Pie is on the heavy rotation menu at our house. We all love it. My mom made it, and so did both of my grandmothers. For some reason, though, I have stronger memories of my Grandma Losch (my mom’s mother) making this.
Chicken Pot Pie is misunderstood outside of Central Pennsylvania. For the rest of the world, “chicken pot pie” is a concoction of chicken, vegetables and gravy, cooked inside a pastry crust, oftentimes procured in a small square box from your grocer’s freezer section:
THIS IS NOT THAT!! Mine is more of a chicken stew that features delicious homemade egg noodles. It is the quintessential comfort food. It’ll cure what ails ya.
Here’s a photo of my Grandma Losch, in her kitchen, from whence came gallons of this stuff, plus more good food than you could possibly ever quantify. She is shown here with my mom’s sister, my dear Aunt Doll. This photo had to have been taken in the late 1980s, because Grandma died in 1992 and was smaller and grayer by the time she finally went home to Jesus:
Here is the gist of Chicken Pot Pie. You make chicken stock, boil some potatoes and veggies in it, then add homemade egg noodles. I cook this dish like both of my grandmothers did – by “feel”. Thus, I am unable to precisely quantify it, but can only tell you that this recipe makes a good-sized potful, enough to feed a hungry family of 4 or 5 for dinner, with possible leftovers for later the same evening or maybe lunch the next day. (But don’t count on the leftovers.)
I don’t know why it’s called “pot pie”, but it’s a Pennsylvania Dutch thing. I would guess it’s because the dough is cooked within the “pot” instead of as a baked pastry crust. Pot pie can also be made with ham or beef.
The specifics:
Make chicken stock: Cook bone-in chicken pieces (say, 2 breasts and a couple of dark-meat pieces) in water in a medium stock pot until the meat is done (2-3 hours). To make it extra-flavorful, include onion, garlic, celery trimmings, salt, pepper, maybe some parsley and/or oregano while you cook it. Remove chicken pieces and allow them to cool. Strain the broth to remove the “chunks” of cooked veggies and discard said “chunks.” When the chicken pieces are cool, pull the meat off of the bones and save the meat for the pot pie. Discard the skin and bones. (You can do this a day or three ahead of time… or make the stock and freeze it for later use.)
(Of course you can do this part however you prefer – overnight in the slow cooker, super-fast in the pressure cooker – this is between you and your maker. If you’re in a big hurry, use a carton of stock from the grocery store. Just don’t tell me about it.)
Peel 3 or 4 medium-sized potatoes and cut into small, bit-sized dice. Add these to the pot with the chicken stock, along with 1 rib celery (diced), 1 small onion (diced), and a handful of chopped fresh parsley (or shake in some dried parsley flakes), plus salt & pepper. Bring this to a rolling boil and cook until potatoes are tender (test with a fork) (maybe 15 minutes?). Optional – add some corn for sweetness (preferably frozen kernels) and/ or some diced carrots. (Corn and carrots offended my mother’s sensibilities, but this is my recipe now.)
While the potatoes are cooking, make the dough. These noodles are what make pot pie, POT PIE, so pay attention:
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In a bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 4 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or butter, or some combination thereof) until mixture is crumbly (like you’re making pastry crust).
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In a separate bowl, combine 1 large egg and 1/2 cup milk. (Or, 2 large eggs and 1/4 cup milk. Total liquid is about 3/4 cup.) Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and combine with a fork to form a soft, yet rollable dough.
- On a floured work surface, dump out the dough, form it into a disc, then roll it thin – about the same thickness as you would roll a pie crust, maybe a little bit thinner. Use a pizza or pastry cutter to cut into squares, approx. 2″x2″. Or, 1”x1”. Or rectangular. Or heck – get crazy – make triangles, you nut! Be sure to use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface or the rolling pin… the flour left on the noodles will help to thicken the broth.
My Grandmas' Recipes 
Ours had no chicken in it. The chicken was served separately. There were only three of us and it would last a week her pot was so big. She gave me the recipe once. It called for SEVEN CUPS of flour. People frequently asked Mom to make some for them. I cheat for just me. I use good quality flour tortillas and add them to the broth after cutting them into strips. It satisfiees my cravings.
Finally! My great grandmother, grandmother and myself, have made this as long as I can remember. My mom left it up to us lol. I also have no formal recipe, all by feel. This is the first I’ve seen that is made with shortening, just like we make it. We called it Pot Pye. My grandmother’s family was from Pennsylvania Dutch area. I remember as a little girl asking granny for a piece of dough to play with, and that’s how I remember what it feels like. And watching her make it. After she passed, my mom gave me her special pot. It was gigantic and all the big dinners are made in it. Pot Pye, vegetable soup etc. We make an enormous pot of these because the whole extended family gathers. I only make it a few times a year now, and trying to get someone in the family to come over to learn. I fear after I’m gone, so goes those dinners. They’ll be sorry lol. I’ve read a few recipes on Pinterest that are not made with shortening, and wondering how they can be tender dumplings? Thank you for posting ❤️
It’s not call Pot Pie at all lol it’s a common mistake younger more recent generations make due to a miscommunication somewhere along the line…. it’s actually called bott boi, which sounds similar to people call it now
The noodles are bott boi if you buy them, also.
My 92 year old grandmother calls it pot pie as did her mom.
My mother made this dish. She called it chicken stew. It had chicken, boiled with celery and a bay leaf to make the stock. Then potatoes and noodles, which she called dumplings, made with flour, baking soda and salt. There were no eggs involved, but I can’t remember if there was shortening. She also did a few drop dumplings as well. Sometimes a few carrot slices were added for color.
I grew up in Southwest Michigan, and my family commonly referred to this as “Popeye.” I never thought anything of the name, but now I see it for what it is: a derivation of “pot pie” which I’m sure sort of mutated in my family so as to differentiate it from a traditional pot pie. How interesting! And your recipe looks pretty much looks identical to our family recipe, except that we often served it over a big pile of mashed potatoes. Starch overload, but it’s worth it.
Also it’s worth noting that Soutwest Michigan / Northern Indiana has a huge Amish community, so I bet this all comes from the same place.
My Gramma was Pennsylvania Dutch and her Pot Pie was the very best. She varied it making it with chicken, beef or ham (which ever was the cheapest) and added various vegetables. Almost always potatoes.. Sometimes rutabaga or parsnips, again depending on the season and price.. Her noodles were made with just flour, salt and cooled stock from the pot.. Think maybe she used a little lard too?She said they had to be “slippy”.
I am looking for her cookie recipe, They were huge, solid but not crisp and I think again she used lard. The major problem was they never used stadard measuring utensils.
Appreciate any help I can get. rmar@windstream.net
Thank you for posting this. I am about to make it for the first time for my friends in VA. Here they refer to it as chicken and dumplings but they use store bought Pillsbury Grand dough mix, simply can’t be as good as homemade. I am originally from Boyertown near Reading
Thank you for posting this. I am about to make it for the first time for my friends in VA. Here they refer to it as chicken and dumplings but they use store bought Pillsbury Grand dough mix, simply can’t be as good as homemade.
My mam maw made this all the time and taught all of us grand kid how to make it and we pass it down to our kids and so on and so on i love the stuff
My Grandma always used the non egg version of this and both my sister and i make it, we have found that a large pot usually feeds 4 to 5 people. i always a make a huge stew pot of it, because my children and their friends just love it!!!!! What i love about it is that it soaks up the broth as it thickens it and melts in your mouth when you go to eat it.
I grew up on this in South Jersey, but Mom never put egg in her dough or potatoes in the broth, though she admitted later in life that she would ask her mother to add a potato just for her. I love this and, when I’m really craving it, will make broth and cut flour tortillas into strips and cook them. Not authentic, but a very decent facsimile to fulfill a craving!
Okay, I made this today 1-5-13 for my Sunday and as I have just got done eating it I would say its pretty good. I was craving Chicken and Dumplings though, which is made the same way except for the dough part there is no egg in it. I used all thigh meat boiled it down with some bullion cubes and lots of spices like some sage and poultry and basil and bay leaves and lots of black pepper I also add Rosemary to my dough I also added the corn. Being African- American growing up in Michigan and my grandmother from the south we ate our a little different than your version but I really like this version and I will definitely make it again and thank you so much for sharing!
Net, my mother-in-law was from the south. Her version was called Chicken and Pastry. She cooked the chicken, reserving the stock. Put freezer paper on the counter and placed regular or self-rising flour in center with cold tap water, and worked it into the consistently she wanted, adding more flour as necessary. She heavily floured rolling pin and rolled the pastry out on the freezer paper, adding flour beneath the dough and the rolling pin, as necessary. No eggs, no shortening. When pastry was rolled thin, she cut it into approx. 5 inch long, 2 inch wide strips, then letting the strips “rest” for 15 minutes (longer rest will mean tough noodles). Before adding pastry to the broth, she added a can of cream of chicken soup and additional water if needed and brought to boil. Then she dropped in the strips, 7 or 8 at a time, dredging with plenty of flour to thicken the broth, using her forearm to hold the strips. She’d stir those, making sure they had begun to cook individually, then load her forearm again and repeat until all the dough was in the pot. it was delicious, Cream of Celery soup would work as well. Then the chunks of cooked chicken were added, and the mixture simmered until ready to serve. This version may be healthier for those that don’t wish to make the egg noodles. I’ve had the dough both ways and I can’t tell the difference. LOL My mom was from central PA and never made pot pie but I sure do miss her scalloped potatoes.
i make my noodles this way, just ice cold water, flour, and salt. i do not add anything else to this and it tastes delicious. i was born here in south central pA.
My grandmother made potpie all the years she was alive (95). She was from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and was neither ethnic Dutch nor German. As I recall she always used chicken.
It’s only now that I’ve found recipes for this dish, which was one of my favorites, along with her beans and dumplings (whch she made using Bisquick). No one I ever knew outside of my family knew what potpie was. My guess is that the name came from the fact that it’s cooked in a pot and the dough is pie dough.
Hi Meg.I absoluetly love homemade pot pie. I haven’t had it in years.My maternal grandma used to make this all the time. We live in Northwest Ohio, but my grandmother’s family were penn dutch. we also used to have fried saurekraut on mashed potatoes. Her pot pie was mostly beef or chicken. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I look forward to making it for my family. My grandmother also made a soup called hamburger soup. Which was hamburger and potatoes together. It makes a nice rich broth, or you can add beef soup base. I don’t know if this is a Penn Dutch Recipe, Or a dish she made during the depression.
Hi Joy, thanks for your comment! I’d love to hear more about FRIED sauerkraut – that’s a new one to me!
Joy, my mom used to make tiny ground beef meatballs, seasoned with a little salt, pepper and onion powder (no breadcrumbs, no eggs), and drop them into boiling water, adding chopped potatoes and celery after the meatballs had partially cooked, then tweaking the broth when potatoes were done with a little more onion powder, salt and pepper. Delicious and very easy on the stomach, as my dad never liked any food that was highly seasoned. We kids jokingly called it “turtle soup.” My folks were from central PA.
This has nothing to do with pot pie but it brought back memories of my grandmother who also did penna dutch cooking, I remember helping her to make “butterscotch pie”” and can’rt remember the receipe. I was wondering if maybe someone out there may have heard of it. I remember her crushing grahamcrackers and mixing it with sugar and meletd butter (for the crust) she would save some of the mix to sprinkle over the pie top afterward,.
Sh e would press the crumb mix into a pie plate and bake in the oven for about 10 min. then set aside to cool while she boiled the fillig on the stove, I only remember stirring in the egg yolks into milkand sugar, but it definitely tasted like butterscotch, and I know it was not from a pudding box…. wish I could find that receipe , it was like around 1959-63.
yes this is truly pot pie, I’m from York and now live in Pottstown and everyone thinks pot pie is with the crust, I had to teach them what I know is pot pie. To us the pies with the crust we call meat pies here. I’ve made both chicken and beef, both wonderful
I just have to say how generous you are. I too grew in Pa dutch country. Lebanon, county and had a grandmother who taught me to make this dish. I have cooked our family version of it for over 20 years and to date very single person has loved it. Because i know so many of my friends and family love this dish i usually do an army sized batch. Put simply i need 12-15 eggs for 1 pot of noodles and like someone said earlier there are never any leftovers. People who havent experienced dutch pot pie just have no idea what they are missing! Thanks for sharing your story>
I too am from Lebanon, PA, but, have been living on an island in the Caribbean for the past 25 years– half my life! Boy do I miss a good bowl of home made chicken pot pie.. with saffron! My great grandma made it, as did my grandma.. cant wait to try this recipe.. thanks for sharing!
Thanks for blogging grandma Losch’s version, it’s the closest to my mom’s I found on the web. Tonight was my first attempt, not bad I must say, but next time I will try an extra egg for my noodles. Aahhh, comfort food:)
We used to have this quite regularly and on occasion my Mother would make it using Blueberries.. It was really good and i always looked forward to the Blueberry one..That was usually on a Sunday night watching Ed Sullivan..
Its a lot like my grandmas recipe! I also make it with a beef roast or ham. My family loves all versions of pot pie!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am eating it right now and it is exactly what I was hungry for. Much easier to make than I thought!
When searching for a recipe I only found the “pie” version. It took a while for me to realize I should try “PA dutch” with my search. For me this is the real chicken pot Pie!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this, Holly!
My family is Pennsylvania Dutch. This is a common meal in our house and has been passed down generations. Glad to see someone else out there sharing the wealth. :)
Thanks Charlene!
Hi! Your recipe sounds so great, pot pie the Dutch way is the only way my boyfriend likes it! So I’m going to attempt it for the first time! But I was wondering if you could substitute a whole chicken with the bone with boneless chicken breast or canned chicken! I’m afraid I’m a little kitchen challenged and I’m not sure I could handle cooking such a large bone in chicken! I was also wondering if you do anything to the pot pie to thicken it up? Thanks in advance
You absolutely can substitute. It’s all about what you are comfortable with. It’s your recipe. You can use chicken broth or chicken stock with chicken pieces or a cut up rotisserie chicken. (I use those in a lot of recipes to cut time – they are already spiced and ready to go!). Don’t be afraid of cooking a whole chicken, though. You just boil it then pull it out and cool it until you can pick it apart. Not hard! My mom always added boullion cubes to the broth to make it richer. The noodles are the hardest part. It’s so fun to give it a shot. I remember the first time I tried we took pictures because I had flour everywhere. Have fun with it – your boyfriend will love you for trying! Don’t forget – when all else fails you can make a really quick version with chicken stock, cooked chicken pieces, potatos and bot boi noodles in a bag! (my recipe) Don’t stress about it – just have fun!
Alison, yes, you could make it with boneless skinless chicken breasts and premade broth – but as the other commenter said, it truly isn’t difficult to cook down chicken. For your first time, try cooking a couple of bone-in breasts – boil ’em for a while – longer than you think you should so they’re done – then let ’em cool and pull the meat off. The broth will be better if you also cook the darker meat parts though. But YEAH, you can totally make this with canned / premade stuff and even premade noodles! (There is a flat noodle-like “dumpling” for sale in the freezer section of my grocery here in MD)
I was looking for a pot pie recipe to make for my wife, a Lancaster County girl. Not only do I like your recipe, I like the way you wrote it. I don’t often chuckle while reading a recipe. Thanks from a Boston boy who grew up with a crust on my pot pie!
Thanks John! Glad you found the recipe and a couple of giggles, too.
Grew up (and still live) in PA Dutch Country (Lancaster County). My mom taught me how to make chicken pot pie. But we never bothered to roll out the noodles. Just drop it by the spoonful into boiling water and once they float to the top, pop them into the soup. I always do approx. 2 cups flour, 4 eggs, 1 cup water, salt, pepper, parsley and onion powder to taste.
Thanks for your comment Sara! Those sound more like dumplings than noodles, but a tasty variation for sure!
You can even make a small pot out of one chicken breast. I had one kfc breast left, and was craving some today, so I just peeled the skin off, boiled it and made a smaller version. Im just mad I don’t have leftovers now.
My grandma taught me how to make the dough when I was a teen, and its very similar. No egg.
Meg-thank you so much for the recipe. I was born in Reading, PA but left when I was 7 to live in AZ. My grandmum used to make this when I was a little girl and when she would come to AZ to visit us and the smell and taste of it is one of my best childhood memories. Unfortunally I had misplaced her recipe and when I read yours, it is exactly how she used to make it. Thx again.
So happy you found my recipe, Cheri! Spread some Penna-Dutch lovin’ out in Arizona…
Hi Cheri!
I am in Reading, PA and was looking for a good Pot Pie recipe and found those crazy ones for a pie crust concoction. THIS is what we mean in Reading, PA by Chicken pot pie. Glad to meet you in this forum.
Not that there’s anything wrong with the pie-crust version of “pot pie” – I’m a fan – but that just isn’t what WE mean when WE (Pennsylvanians) say POT PIE.
Hi, I’m back and with good news. I have been able to reproduce Grandma’s pot pie noodles! Grandma was a child of the depression. Simple but hearty was the rule of the day. Therfore, I started with the simplest recipe I could find that matched my recollection of cooking with her. From reading the posts pot pie noodles are different to each of us. I was looking for a puffy noodle that was just shy of gummy. I was 99% sure her noddles had no eggs in them, again, simple.
Here is the recipe I used.
3 cups of self rising flour (grandma used flour and added baking powder but the result is the same)
2T of crisco (They were not afraid of crisco or lard back then)
1 cup of hot water.
Any good chicken stock will work for cooking in (I made mine from bullion as I was just experimenting). A rolling boil is essential as the noodles need to toss themselves so they do not stick together.
At first the dough was too sticky so I added more flour until it was not so. This batch worked well but I did notice that I did not have to flour my knife to cut the dough as Grandma had done, so the second batch I added a little less flour and when poked with a finger the dough still had a very very slight stickyness to it. The knife needed floured or it stuck to the dough. This produced the puffier noodle I was looking for.
I am ecstatic. As to adding carrots and potatos and the like, Grandma never did but I can imagine that would work (me, just give me more noodles!)
Thanks to all the previous comments that led me to figuring out this recipe. I could not have done it without you all.
Gary! A belated note to say Hoorah for you for getting the noodles just right! You’re right – they should be “gummier” than a dumpling. I think extra egg makes ’em that way. Also, an extra tip on cutting the dough – I use a pizza cutter or, if I’m feeling fancy, my wavy dough cutter (the one I use when I’m cutting pie dough for a lattice crust). Seems easier than using a knife. And I’m not shy with the flour, either – it helps to thicken the broth, too.
I am with you – this is all about the noodles. Vegetables are optional.
Our family recipe doesn’t call for carrot or potatoes, just chicken, salt,, pepper, parsley, and slippery noodles (as we call them)….
Ex philly folks here. Have had the Amish Pot Pie at the Reading Terminal and it is pretty close to what grandma use to make. The trick here is getting the noodles that are almost “gummy” in consistancy. They are not a noodle per sey and they are not a biscuit. My grandma made this all the time. Unfotunately, she never used recipes. We are going to try this with the self rising flour. I helped her put the noodles in the broth and they really puffed up. Cracker Barrel is the closest I have ever seen to what Grandma use to make since we left PA., but their noodles are very bland. I am thinking of using some of the chix broth in place of water to infuse some flavor into the noodle. I’ll let you guys know how that works.
Pot pie was a fave of mine growing up. While I was in the Navy, each time I came home on leave mom always made it for me. She learned to make it from my fraternal gradmother who was PA dutch. Reading this brought back lots of memories.
I am originally from Sunbury/Selinsgrove area and grew up on this. I now live in New Zealand and make this for my children (and pickled eggs) to share some of my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Our family, mother’s side, is from Sunbury/Selinsgrove. Other side is from Philly. We grew up on this. I am going to try some of these and see if I can turn out the kind of noodle my grandma did. Watch for updates. Just thought I would reposnd since it appears to be a small world.
Glad you chimed in, Gary! We tried self-rising flour once, by accident, and didn’t like the results. Too much like a dumpling. I’d say, stick to regular flour. Maybe add extra egg to get the chewy texture? Let us know how it goes!
I grew up about half an hour south of Selinsgrove. Among her many stints of food-related employment, my mother’s mom was a house mother at a fraternity house at Susquehanna University. I bet those were some well-fed young men!
Posted my recipe today. Seems like noodles for PA Dutch pot pie are as varied as grains of sand. I was looking for a noodle that was almost a dumpling, but not really a noodle. So, since you said the self rising flour gave you this characteristic I tried it first and bingo it was almost a dead ringer for Grandma’s. There is a company called Cherchies ( http://www.soupsonline.com/p-242-chicken-pot-pie-soup.aspx )that makes a prepackaged pot pie and their noodles are actually noodles. It is pretty good if you want pot pie in a hurry. I had picked this up at a specialty store and this was actually what triggered my quest for Grandma’s noodles.
Well done, Gary! I’m glad your recipe worked out. Interesting, the differences in the noodle recipes.
Thank you so much for this info. I honestly hadn’t thought about looking for a recipe for REAL pot pie in years and years. I thought it may have died with my grandparents. Happily this is not the case. Some of my happiest memories involve the whole family around my Grandma’s little table eating chicken, and of course, squirrel pot pie with those incredible home made noodles and potatoes. Thanks again.
I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and my mom used to make this for all often. This and chicken corn soup where my favorites. She never wrote it down, so having the recipe really helped me make it for my own kids.
Glad you found it here, Duane, and that your family enjoyed a little taste of Lancaster!
Meg McCormick Soup Is Not A Finger Food
Thank you SO much for this recipe. My Italian Mom used to make it for my Lancaster-born Dad. My Mom died unexpectedly and young, so I didn’t get to ask for her recipe for this. This one is the real deal. Thank you again ~ Mom is smiling down right now at all the flour on M’s and my kitchen floor!
I am from southcentral Pennsylvania. I grew up on Amish Pot Pies. I will eat it any time it is served. It is a refreshing meal any time of the year. I have a neighbor who has never tried pot pie and is too stubborn to try it. He says it is not a pie. I think he might be loosing it there. Thank you for all the great comments and just Keep eating that Pot pie. Keep it coming Mom.
Hi. I didn’t have a chance to read all of the comments, so forgive me if this has already been noted. But the term “Pot Pie” is an English rendering of an old German term “Bot Boi” which basically means “potpourri” when loosely translated. Some say that it is pot pie because when you roll out your dough, you are basically making a pie crust, but one that goes into the pot. So it is a pot pie as opposed to just a pie, like the Brits would call a dish with a crust of pastry or potato
I’m originally from PA and my grandma (then my mom) used to make chicken pot pie regularly. My daughter still bugs my mom to make it when she visits. It’s difficult to explain to people who are from other parts of the country that this is THE REAL POT PIE! I think my mom only puts in the noodles, potatoes and chicken but I would add other veggies. She also always chops up onion and soaks it in apple cider vinegar and we sprinkle some of the mix over the pot pie once it’s plated. My mom also used to make BAKED chicken pot pie – it was to die for! I’m not sure how she made it, but I think she made the boiled pot pie then poured it in a casserole lined with pie dough and covered it with another layer of pie dough and baked it. I have only attempted to make pot pie with store-bought chicken stock and store-bought Bot Boi noodles (hangs head in shame) but it’s still pretty good. Guess I’m going to have to drive up to Mom’s and have her teach me the real way to make pot pie so I can make it for my husband. His family is from New Jersey and never heard of pot pie made this way. Thanks for the recipe, and for bringing back great memories!
My little girl has been asking me to make this so when I searched the internet for the recipe, yours sounded like the best one out there. I kinda loosely followed the chicken and gravy part but did the potpie part exactly as written. The dough was a breeze to put together and rolled out like a dream. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to do. I don’t think I rolled it thin enough because my dumplings took alot longer to cook than 6 minutes. Also, my gravy didn’t thicken up too much so I added some cornstarch. I didn’t use potatoes in my gravy so maybe that had something to do with it not thickening too much. Anyway, this was really awesome, the daughter LOVED it and this will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you so much!
Meg,
I’m so glad I found your blog! Thank you for reinforcing that pot pie does not come in a pie pan! I hope to see more authentic PA dutchy recipes soon!
Domestic Debbie, Berks County
Just finished a batch myself after Christmas leftovers. The dough passed down from generations past is a simple EGG, SELF RISING FLOUR, SALT. Blended by feel to create dough rolled out. OHH SO GOOD!!!
So glad I found this recipe! I have been craving it this year. How much water is added to make the stock? Just trying to figure out how much I need for the noodles. I don’t want it to be too thick. Thanks:)
Hi FactoryGirl – How much water you add kind of depends on how large your stockpot is. Completely cover your chicken pieces (or carcass if you’re using what’s left of a roast chicken)… you can add more water as it cooks (and if it starts to dilute, sneak in a cube or two of chicken buillion). If I had to guess, for one recipe of the dough, I probably use 2 – 3 quarts maybe? Less water if you’re making a smaller batch (and halve the dough), more water if you’re cooking for a crowd. My recipe feeds my family of 5 with a little leftover for my husband’s lunch the next day. Hope this helps!
I am Italian. When I was little, I had a neighbor who lived across the street that made delicious pot pie (something I never had in MY house). Thank you for this recipe. I will make it tonight with my leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving that has been calling my name while in the freezer. Nothing like good comfort food for this time of year!!!
my grandmother,,, German,, used to make pot pie from leftovers; chicken, turkey or my favorite,,, ham… she would take the leftover scraps and bones,,, put them,,, as well as some veggies and spices in the pressure cooker to make the best broth. i’ve made it many times but sadly,,, it’s just not the same. maybe because she always used lard rather than shortening in her dough.
BTW,,,, i believe pot pie is the Americanized version of the German,,, “Bot Boi”.
My grandmother, then mother, made Turkey Pot Pie after Thanksgiving and Christmas every year as a way to get rid of the carcass. I have kept the tradition alive, and after my Mom passed away last year, this is what was served on her birthday for a family memorial dinner. It truly is my ultimate comfort food.
Our family dough recipe doesn’t have Crisco/butter, so I’m going to try your family’s recipe today. The stock has about an hour more to go.
I was taught to pour a little pickle juice in the bowls before serving. For me, it isn’t Turkey Pot Pie without it.
Turkey pot pie – great idea! Tell me how you make your dough – mostly eggs, I bet? Pickle juice is a new one to me but I’m game, I’ll try it!
I tried the dough recipe found here back in October, and while pulling the recipe for tomorrow, I realized I hadn’t replied.
While the dough was good, I think I will stick to grandma’s recipe:
2 cups + 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 TBSP cold water or cream (I usually use 1/2 & 1/2 since it’s always around)
Start with only 2 cups flour, then add more flour or cream depending on the consistency of the dough.
It’s a heartier, denser dough, and I like the fat coming from the eggs instead of the butter. While your recipe was easier to work with while rolling out, I thought the butter gave it a taste that deviated too much from my childhood dough memories
Thanks, and happy holidays.
Both my grand mothers and my mom made a version of this. When I was in the midwest for college I had chicken and home made noodles that was very similar. This has brought back so many memories, I can’t wait to have this again soon!
Thanks for the post.
Dwayne
WHOA. I have been dreaming about this stuff. Being Jewish, I know a good chicken soup when I taste one. I lived in Philly for 15 years and used to go to the ‘Amish Meeting Place’ at Reading Terminal Market and get this. It never occurred to me to google “Amish style chicken pot pie” until today. Luckily, I have a husband who LIVES for my soups, especially if they have egg noodles in them! I am not much of a dough-maker or baker – but I am SO going to try this ASAP!!! THANK YOU for sharing this! Can’t wait to see your other recipes – I remember another dish at that place – it was like a hot sour kraut with chunks of pork – YUMMERS!
Dari, thanks for your comment! I’ll share a quick secret with you… our grocery store sells these frozen flat dumplings, which are pretty much like the egg noodles I make, and they are a fine substitute if you’re not into making the dough from scratch. You will love it! The pork & sauerkraut is also a staple – served over mashed potatoes, I bet. It’s good luck to eat it on New Year’s Day!
Meg, No way am I going to cheat on those noodles! I want to learn how to do ’em. Can’t wait! Starting the stock now! Will let you know how it turns out!!! Thanks so much. Do you have the pork and sauerkraut recipe also?
I don’t really have a recipe for pork & sauerkraut. Just throw a pork roast in the crock pot or oven… and open a bag of sauerkraut and either cook it in that the whole time or add it partway through the roasting process. Sometimes I add diced apples and onions to the sauerkraut. In my family it must be served over homemade mashed potatoes – no ifs, ands or buts. Let me know if you try it!
thanks guys for all the info(and reading) I didn’t have an amish grammy but love, love amish cooking so it must be in the blood somewhere,can’t wait to make this tonight because it’s october and cccold and definitely comfort food !
Don’t forget squirrel pot pie.
When hunting wasn’t all that great and a few squirrels were all that was brought home, a hardscrabble family had squirrel pot pie. Not a lot of meat for the family, but certainly a filling meal.
Bob, our family never did squirrel pot pie but I sure have heard of those who did. I’d forgotten all about it. Thanks for the comment!
Im trying this recipe this weekend with squirrel to take to the last saturday of muzzleloader hunting there well be about 15 of us and hungry by noon so someone gave me 8 squirrels all cleaned and frozen ready to go and since its a hunting weekend I wanted to make something with game so im giving this a try using squirrel, Im going to use 3 of them ? ill let you know how it comes out. Thanks for the recipe
oh yes to Eric……… I love, love, love to putt out those noodles after the leftovers have been if the fridge over night OH JOY!!!
-Tom
My gammy always made it witht he only things seasoning the pot being salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, chicken, potatoes and of coarse the noodles. Though I still like it her way, I admit I cheat and add a box of frozen pearl onions, a bag of frozen peas and a bag of the peeled baby carrots from the produce section. Being single I make it once a year in my 5 gallon stock pot, and do alot of sharing and alot of freezing.
Even though chicken maybe the classic, my Grammy always made hers with either ham or beef. She always made it the same way, just different meats. I loved it so much, I would eat it cold for leftovers. Then microwaves came along which made it easier to reheat.
I return “home” to York, PA every April and a friend always makes me chicken pot pie. Even though I make it myself, hers is always much better because it brings memories and lots of friendship laughs.
Lebanon bologna? Real hard pretzels? Not homemade but true “Dutchie” eating.
Oh, Gunflinter,you’re making me hungry! Luckily we will be heading up for a visit this coming weekend. I plan to stock up on Middleswarth potato chips!
I brought 5 bags of Middleswarth back to California for the “homies.” Now to find a way to get Martin’s potato rolls on a regular basis!
Kim – here’s a mail-order hookup for you: http://www.pasnacks.com/
Gunflinter, I hear ya! I am originally from New England but lived in Lancaster and York for 23 years before returning to Rhode Island. I was so craving bot boi last week and I made it for myself the first time with this recipe. Mom’s not around to guide me so…I wasn’t sure about how the noodles would come out and you can’t buy them up here in the store but it came out good and the noodles were passable. Practice makes perfect! And some Lebanon bologna and some Snyder’s pretzels would be great too!
Will, I’m glad you’re carrying on your family’s tradition of Pennsylvania Dutch-style pot pie. I sure would like to hear how to make a blueberry pot pie?? I’m intrigued!
My mother and Grandmother used to make this all the time and i loved it.. Now i still make it every now and again but it does not turn out as good as theirs did..My mother used to also use the Pot Pie noodles and make a Blueberry Pot Pie every now and again that was out of this world!! I now know what is for supper tonight!!
Welcome, Lois! Those dry noodles are an easy substitute – instead of making the dough and rolling it out and cooking that, use the noodles. I’ve used them, too, in a pinch, and they are quite good. In fact, I’ve heard you can make your own and dry them – I want to try that sometime. I hope your pot pie turns out delicious!
Thanks for the explanation of Amish pot pie. I recieved a bag of amish egg noodles all ready made and in dry form with the lable stating “Homemade Pot Pie” a recipie book that came w/ the gift is a bit vague. How would you incorporate these dry noodles into your above recipie?
I’m really interested in trying this Pot Pie but don’t want to mess it up. Thanks
I grew up in north western Ohio, and we didn’t know what the other kind of pot pie was. This is the way we made it. Sometimes it was beef, and sometimes it was made with chicken. I guessed at the recipe since we really didn’t have one. I’m happy to find this recipe, so I can be more accurate when making it. Thank you.
Alice, it was YEARS before I knew there was another kind, too. We also sometimes use ham to make it, but I prefer chicken by far. In fact, the churches and granges will sometimes have pot pie dinners as fund-raisers!
I usually guess at most of the recipe, but for the dough, I always pull out my cookbook and make it per my grandma’s recipe.
I grew up in central Ohio and am very familiar with pot pies. Rather than chicken, we would have a big piece of pot roast. We’d use the liquid from the roast, add water and bring to a boil. Then we’d plop in the pot pies (which I grew up calling “popeyes”), which were homemade and usually cut into 2″ squares. We’d serve with mashed potatoes and usually fried corn.
My husband, who’s from California, struggled mightily to accept eating “two starches” in one sitting. And that was on top of him realizing I was using bacon fat to fry the corn (“You mean you haven’t been using PAM?!”) but now he’s come around to my way of thinking :)
Thanks for your comment JoAnn! Your version sounds wonderful. My version has the dough squares, plus potatoes, plus corn, so triple starch! Your husband would have a conniption.
Fried corn? Yum, that sounds good…
About to head home to Central PA for Christmas for the first time in a few years and your blog is giving me goosebumps – molasses cookies, sand tarts, chicken pot pie! Hadn’t realized how much those things really mean “home” to me. Thanks for sharing!
Meg:
I never did learn to make chicken Pot Pie. Bob orders it occasionally in a fmaily style restaurant, but he’s always disappointed. Guess I should try.
Great idea to share these recipes. I look over my box of recipes to find any unique ones.
Aunt Anne
Aunt Anne, just send Uncle Bob to Maryland. We’ll take care of him… in exchange for one of your pecan pies!
Brickle! Makes me want to run out and buy almonds right now, only it’s midnight. Guess I will have to resist! Grandma Sara’s brickle was wonderful. Glad you shared it so I don’t have to try digging it out of my recipe box.
And potpie is to die for. I know how much of a favorite it is with Sandy and Allen. We all love it. I’m sure it is on Sandy’s list of “must eat” when she gets home in a few months.
Meg, you were blessed with two terrific grandmothers who loved to cook and were great at it. No wonder you have the gene!
Thanks for sharing this with all of us and I guess the rest of the world!
Aunt Cathy
Aunt Cathy, if you make some, save me a nibble. I’m hoping I can find time to make some in the next couple of weeks…
Shelly, I have not, for fear that my grandmothers would probably roll in their graves. I am a slave to the classics! Although I could see the potential for updating this recipe with a more modern, or maybe international palette. Oh, the possibilities!
Oh the many ways to use this recipe. Chicken and dumplings, chicken soup, chicken and rice, I could go on and on. I like the idea of home made “noodles”. Have you ever flavored them with herbs or cheese?
CBW, just follow the instructions and call me for moral support. Also, I see where you can actually buy dumpling noodles in my grocer’s freezer section, and they would do in a pinch. But don’t tell anyone – it’s our little secret.
This looks wonderful…I’m scared of the homemade noodle part, but I’ll think about it some and see if I can muster up the courage.
Mom – thanks! I dreamed I was inside of Grandma’s home last night. Sniff, sniff.
Lordy ! Your recipe sounds way better than mine. You add those other goodies, and I’m too lazy and just use chicken, potatoes, potpie and parsley. Yummmm! Loved the photo, brought tears, of course.