One Bold Spice Makes Chicken Pot Pie Taste Twice As Good

While a classic chicken pot pie is always comforting, the combo of soft chicken and veggies in a pale gravy tastes quite mild. If you've always thought of this dish as bland, you only need one popular spice to turn it into a bolder meal that you'll welcome at your table. Paprika instantly changes the character of chicken pot pie and makes it twice as flavorful.

Adding plenty of paprika to pot pie filling will make it reminiscent of traditional chicken paprikash, a stew full of rich, sweet, slightly earthy flavor from special Hungarian paprika. When made the traditional way with sweet paprika, paprikash tastes peppery yet mild instead of spicy-hot. That's why this seasoning is also perfect for a pot pie that's more exciting, yet still crowd-pleasing. It adds richness, dimension, and sweet-yet-sharp notes to the simple gravy while lifting up the savory chicken and vegetables. The more flavorful filling will also stand up to the crust better, because no one likes pie that tastes mostly like dough.

To make a paprika-infused chicken pot pie, just mix about a tablespoon of the spice into the filling after it has cooked on the stove for a few minutes. When seasoning a dish, heat will impact the potency, softening the flavors of spices the longer they cook. Adding paprika at the last minute keeps its flavor strong, especially since you'll further cook the pie in the oven. Your chicken filling will take on a beautiful orange color and complex flavor that makes every slice tastier.

Since you're making a pot pie and not an authentic paprikash, feel free to experiment with other types of paprika. As long as you use a high-quality, fresh paprika instead of the dusty generic stuff that's been sitting around on a shelf, the taste will come through in your pie. Smoked paprika is even bolder than the regular kind with deeper earthy notes and a subtle grilled or charred note. This spice makes for an even punchier pot pie, but you may want to use it in smaller amounts to avoid overwhelming the dish.

If you love spicy food, try using hot paprika for an unconventional pot pie with a kick. Hot paprika is made with spicier peppers and can be smoked or unsmoked. For a pie with a subtler heat, try using half sweet paprika and half hot, or blend all three types of paprika for the most complex flavor.

To get more creative, change up your pot pie ingredients to complement the paprika. Try adding diced red bell peppers alongside the usual veggies in your recipe, and spoon a bit of sour cream into the filling. The dairy product is a traditional paprikash ingredient that will make your pie even more luxurious. If you find that you're not a fan of paprika, try another warm spice that makes chicken pot pie twice as good: nutmeg. It has similar peppery, sweet, and earthy qualities, but might taste a bit more subtle in your recipe.