Try this classic comfort food with Chef Tom's Chicken Pot Pie recipe. He uses the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to infuse smoky flavor in spatchcock chicken. Learn to make a scratch-made cheddar crust - savory and flavorful enough to satisfy any taste.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Loosening the skin without removing it lets the rub reach directly against the meat while the skin still protects the breast from drying out during the smoke
- Sweating the vegetables in butter and olive oil together, rather than just one fat, balances richness with a higher smoke point for the initial sauté
- Cooking the flour into the vegetables for a couple of minutes before adding any liquid removes the raw taste and helps the filling thicken smoothly instead of turning pasty
- Grating frozen butter into the pie dough instead of cutting in cold cubes distributes the fat more evenly, building flakier layers once it's rolled and baked
Chicken Pot Pie
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours 25 minutes
Calories
697
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for the comfort food classic, Chicken Pot Pie, featuring spatchcock smoked chicken and a scratch-made cheddar pie crust.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
-
R Butts R Smokin’ Butt Kick'n Chicken Rub
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
-
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup sweet potatoes
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust AP Seasoning
- 2 tbsp chipotles in adobo, minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup half and half
- 1-2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cup baby red potatoes, quartered
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-
1/2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Infused Sea Salt
-
1/2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, fresh ground
- 1/4 cup ice-cold water
- 1/2 cup white cheddar, grated
For the Cheddar Pie Dough:
Directions
- Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the chicken’s backbone to remove the backbone from the rest of the bird. Discard, or save for chicken stock. Loosen the skin from the chicken, but do not remove.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 325ºF.
- Lay the spatchcock chicken flat on a parchment or foil lined sheet pan. Apply R Butts R Smokin’ Butt Kick’n Chicken BBQ Rub all over, on and especially under the skin of the chicken. Lay the bird, breast side up on the pan.
- Place the pan on the second shelf of the grill. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF-160ºF in the center of the breasts, about 90 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the grill. Increase the grill temperature to 425ºF. When the chicken has slightly cooled, remove all skin, pull the meat from the bones and shred the meat. Incorporate any remaining cooking juices from the pan.
- To make the pie dough, grate the frozen butter with a box grater. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer with the flour. Toss to coat the butter with the flour. Add the salt and pepper and mix on second speed with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the ice-cold water to while mixing. Add the cheddar and mix just until the dough starts to come together. Remove from bowl and press together into a 3/4” thick disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat a Lodge 12” Cast Iron Skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and extra virgin olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the onions, carrots, sweet potatoes and season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust AP Seasoning. Sweat the veggies over medium-low heat until softened, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the chipotles, garlic and flour and cook for a couple of minutes longer, stirring frequently. Continue stirring as you slowly add the half and half, then the chicken stock. Add the red potatoes, frozen corn, frozen pearl onion and 4 cups of shredded chicken.
- Roll out the pie dough to the width of the skillet. Place over the filling. Trim the edges to fit the skillet. Slice vents into the top of the dough. Brush the dough with whisked egg.
- Bake on the second shelf of the grill until golden brown and bubbling, about 45-60 minutes. Add a sheet of foil or pan to the main cooking grate to catch any dripping filling.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why loosen the chicken's skin without removing it before seasoning?
Working the rub directly against the meat under the skin seasons it more thoroughly than rub on the surface alone, while the skin stays in place to protect the breast from drying out during the smoke.
Why sweat the vegetables in both butter and olive oil instead of just one fat?
Combining them balances the richness butter adds with a higher smoke point from the oil, letting the vegetables cook through over medium-low heat without the butter burning.
Why cook the flour into the vegetables before adding the half and half and stock?
Stirring the flour in for a couple of minutes first removes its raw taste and helps it disperse evenly, so the filling thickens smoothly instead of clumping once the liquid goes in.
Why grate frozen butter into the pie dough instead of cutting in cold cubes?
Grating distributes small, even pieces of butter throughout the flour, building flakier layers once the dough bakes than larger cut cubes would.
What internal temperature should the chicken actually reach?
The initial smoke pulls it at 155-160°F, below the USDA minimum of 165°F for poultry. The shredded chicken then bakes inside the pie for another 45-60 minutes at 425°F, which should carry it well past 165°F but confirm with a thermometer in the filling before serving rather than assuming the second bake automatically covers the gap.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 a regular oven can roast the spatchcocked chicken in place of the pellet grill, and the filling and crust come together and bake the same way regardless of grill or oven.
Recipe Highlights
Under-skin seasoning: Reaches the meat directly while the skin still protects it during smoking.
Dual-fat vegetable sauté: Balances flavor and smoke point for the initial cook.
Pre-thickened roux base: Removes raw flour taste before liquid is added.
Grated frozen butter: Builds flakier pie dough than cut-in cubes.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 12.5 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 697
- Carbs
- 31 grams
- Protein
- 40 grams
- Fat
- 46 grams
- Sodium
- 697 milligrams
