The Boozy Ingredient That'll Take Your Chicken Pot Pie To New Heights

A classic chicken pot pie is one of the most comforting, warming meals to make during the cold weather months. It's hard to beat tender chunks of chicken and vegetables encased in a golden crust, surrounded by a flavorful gravy. While the recipes for this inexpensive meal are usually straightforward, there are ways to add extra ingredients to homemade chicken pot pie to lift it to new heights, and one of them is sherry. 

This historic fortified wine from the Andalucía region in southern Spain is made from white wine grapes, mainly Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, and Moscatel, making it a great substitute for white wine in recipes, as it adds another dimension of flavor. Known as Jerez in Spanish, sherry is protected by a Denomination of Origin and comes in various styles, from super dry to very sweet. It's a versatile libation that's as much at home in your glass as it is in cocktail and food recipes. Sherry's flavor profiles run from dry and savory, with hints of olive and green walnut in Fino and Manzanilla styles, to nutty and robust with notes of dried fruits and roasted hazelnut in Amontillado and Oloroso styles.

For chicken pot pie, the best option is a medium to dry sherry, adding it as you would add any wine to a recipe, so it cooks down, and the alcohol burns off, leaving only its amazing taste. The amount you add is up to you, but we've seen recipes that call for anywhere from a teaspoon up to half a cup of sherry.

Sherry is a great alternative to white wine for deglazing and making pan sauces, and because it is fortified, it will last longer than regular white wine, so you can keep some handy in the fridge for whenever you may need. It pairs fabulously with creamy sauces, so it's ideal to give your chicken pot pie that extra special touch. Mushrooms are also a natural pairing for dry sherry, as both have a good amount of umami, so add some sauteed mushrooms to enhance your sherry chicken pot pie. As far as herbs go, thyme and sherry play beautifully together. Something about those Mediterranean flavors that just click together.

One last but very important tip: Avoid buying anything labeled as "cooking sherry" or "cooking wine," as these have salt and other flavorings and preservatives added, which will alter the flavor of the finished product. Instead, look for an inexpensive bottle of Fino sherry at your favorite liquor store. Remember: You don't want to cook with anything that you wouldn't drink! In fact, pour yourself a small glass and see how the flavors in sherry will elevate your go-to chicken pot pie recipe.