Skip This One Step And Your Chicken Pot Pie Won't Achieve Peak Deliciousness

It's hard to deny that chicken pot pie is pure coziness wrapped inside of a pastry shell. There's rich gravy and tender chicken chunks, bright vegetables and an impossibly flaky crust. It's the kind of meal that will always make your mouth water, especially when the oven timer seems to be taking forever. So when you're seconds away from creamy filling cascading onto your plate, it can be hard to resist the urge to grab a fork and dig right in. But doing that would be a mistake, so just put down your utensils and let your pot pie rest.

When it comes to chicken pot pie tips, an important one is to always let your pie cool for at least 15 minutes after removing it from the oven. As it cools, the filling will thicken, preventing you from ending up with a pie that's a runny, soupy mess. In fact, the longer you let your chicken pot pie rest, the thicker the filling will be, so you could even let it sit for up to an hour. Of course, we all understand that it's difficult to wait even longer after watching your oven for what feels like an eternity. That said, just a few more minutes of patience will not only give your chicken pot pie a creamy, luscious filling, but it will also keep you from burning your tongue.

While letting your chicken pot pie rest helps with the filling, you also don't want to end up with a soggy crust. One way that happens is if you don't cool your filling before pouring it into the unbaked pastry, as hot filling can potentially melt the butter in your crust. Instead, let the filling sit for 20 minutes before adding it to your dish. Alternatively, you can also make the filling up to three days ahead of time and keep it in your refrigerator inside a sealed container until you're ready to make your chicken pot pie.

Another way to prevent a soggy crust is by blind baking, which is basically pre-baking the crust so that it sets before any wet filling is added. To do this, line your crust with foil or parchment paper and weigh the covering down with pie weights or dry beans to keep it from puffing up as it bakes. Then, bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Finally, make sure to cut vents into your top crust, as the slits allow steam to escape during baking. Otherwise, that steam will make the top crust soggy and the filling runny, or even worse, cause the pie to rupture or leak. Now that you know these tricks, you're ready to get baking. Just follow our chicken pot pie recipe with all of these tips in mind, and you'll never have to deal with a soggy, runny pie ever again.