Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
This vegan chicken pot pie has flaky puff pastry with fresh vegetables and vegan chicken in a savory cream sauce. Hearty and comforting!
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Servings: 6 servings
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Equipment
- deep dish pie pan, casserole pan, or large oven-proof skillet
- Rolling Pin
- high-speed blender to make homemade cashew cream
Ingredients
- 1 sheet nondairy puff pastry thawed; see notes
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 small white or yellow onion diced
- 2-3 stalks celery diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup dry white wine or sub vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth I use chick'n style bouillon
- 1 cup cashew cream recipe follows; or sub unsweetened plant milk
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning see notes for substitutions
- 12 oz vegan chicken defrosted, chopped; see notes for brand recommendations
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- black pepper to taste
Homemade Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked 4+ hours or overnight
- 2/3 cup fresh water
Instructions
Ingredient Prep (do this ahead of time)
- Homemade cashew milk: Ahead of time, drain the soaked cashews and add to a blender with 2/3 cup hot water. Blend until completely smooth (this can take several minutes), and set aside.
- Prep the chick'n: If your vegan chicken comes frozen, make sure to defrost it overnight in the fridge, or ahead of time on the counter. Chop it into small pieces.
- Thaw the puff pastry: Make sure to thaw out 1 sheet of puff pastry overnight in the fridge, or ahead of time on the counter (it usually takes about 40-60 minutes on the counter). If the pastry is too cold, it will not be pliable enough to unfold without breaking. When taking it out of the box, make sure to keep it covered in plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel while defrosting so the dough doesn't dry out.If you forget to thaw the puff pastry, you can quick-defrost it in 15-second bursts in the microwave, flipping it every time, JUST until it is pliable enough to unfold. Don't let it get too warm as this can melt the butter and make the pastry less flaky. Pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes if it gets too soft.
Prepare the Pot Pie Filling
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle.
- A note: You can prepare the entire recipe directly in an oven-safe skillet, such as cast iron skillet or an enameled braiser. Alternatively, you can prepare the filling on the stove and then transfer it to a deep-dish pie pan or casserole dish.
- Sauté the mirepoix: Melt vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté diced onions, celery and carrot for 4-6 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Form the roux: Sprinkle vegetables with all-purpose flour and stir to coat. The flour will form a paste with the butter (a roux). Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw flavor of the flour.
- Deglaze: Deglaze the pan with a splash (about 1/3 cup) dry white wine. (You can substitute vegetable broth or even water in a pinch.) Give it a stir and let it simmer till almost all of the liquid cooks off, just about 1-2 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Pour in the vegetable broth and give it a good stir to dissolve the roux. Use your spoon to scrape up any fond from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the prepared cashew cream (or plant milk) and add the poultry seasoning (or fresh herbs). Stir to combine. Then fold in the chopped vegan chicken and frozen peas.
- Simmer to thicken: When the sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to low or medium-low and allow it to simmer till it reaches your preferred consistency. The exact time will vary. Homemade cashew cream should thicken quickly (almost right away). Store-bought plant milk tends to have less thickening power, so it may require a few extra minutes. You can also add an extra splash of water or broth to loosen the consistency.
- Taste and adjust: Remove the filling from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Top with Puff Pastry
- Transfer to baking dish: If you prepared the filling in a cast iron or other oven-proof skillet, you can bake it directly in this. Otherwise, transfer the pot pie filling into a deep dish pie pan or casserole dish.
- Top with pastry: Remove 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry and place on a lightly-floured surface. With a rolling pin, lightly roll it out to ensure it will cover the entire top of your baking dish. Place the pastry sheet over the pot pie and tuck in any overhang along the edges of the dish. Cut a few slits in the top of the pastry to release steam.
Bake and Enjoy
- Important note: I highly recommend baking the pot pie on top of a cookie sheet — sometimes a little filling can bubble over and it can get smoky if it hits the bottom of your oven. (Learn from my mistakes!)
- Bake: Bake for 30-40 minutes, until pastry is puffed up and evenly golden brown and edges are bubbly.
- Cool and enjoy: I recommend allowing your pot pie to cool for about 20 minutes before serving. This will give the filling a chance to set so it doesn't spill out when you cut into it, making it much easier to dish up. Enjoy!
Notes
Vegan chicken: Daring makes our favorite — look for their Original Plant Chicken pieces in the freezer section. They come in 8 oz bags, and I use 1 1/2 for this recipe. Check the blog post for notes on other vegan chicken alternatives like soy curls.
Chicken-style veggie broth: Use a chicken-style bouillon paste (I like the Zoup! brand from Sprouts, or the Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Bouillon) or bouillon cubes (like the one from Edward & Sons).
Regular vegetable broth: You can use regular veggie broth if needed. You will need to add plenty of extra salt. You can add in a splash of soy sauce and/or a few tablespoons nutritional yeast to make it taste more savory. A teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder can also boost the umami.
Plant milk: I use homemade cashew cream for the creamiest texture and most neutral flavor. However, you can use your favorite store-bought plant milk instead. Just make sure it's something you think will taste good in a savory context — oat milk or cashew milk come to mind. Almond milk can be a little watery.
Vegan-friendly puff pastry: Some brands of puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, are "accidentally" vegan.
Pie crust option: You can also prepare this with refrigerated or homemade pie crust. You can do a top and bottom crust, or just a top crust. If using a bottom crust, I recommend increasing the temperature to 425°F to help it get crisp rather than soggy. Then just adjust cook time as needed till the pie crust is golden brown.
Biscuit option: You can top the pot pie with canned or homemade biscuit dough. Use about 8 biscuits. Just adjust the cook time as needed till your biscuits are perfectly golden brown.
Poultry spice: You can substitute in 1/2 teaspoon each of ground dried sage, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. If you'd like to use fresh herbs, you can use 1/2 tablespoon each of chopped sage, thyme, and rosemary. (Or make your own combination based on your favorite herbs.)
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