How to Make Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

The ultimate comfort food.

Here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, if you ask for "chicken pot pie", there will be no crust involved! You will be served a delicious, piping hot chicken stew with square, flat noodles. The Pennsylvania "Dutch" community here is actually "Deutsch", which means German in the German language. "Pot pie" is actually "bot boi", which refers to the noodles. Saffron makes this truly Lancaster County chicken pot pie.

Things You'll Need

• 8 cups water
• One 3-1/2 pound stewing chicken
• 1 coursely chopped rib of celery
• 1 quartered, large onion
• 1 coursely chopped, large carrot
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• Potpie squares (or kluski noodles)
• small handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• two or three pinches of saffron

Instructions

1. Cook chicken in water with celery, carrot, 1 onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper, simmering until done, for about an hour. You've made some lovely broth. Take the chicken out to cool.

2. Skim off the fat. Strain the broth and discard the celery, carrot, onion, and bay leaf. Taste broth for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Add the saffron grains.

3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, take all the meat from the bones and cut it into bite sized pieces. Throw away the skin and bones.

4. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a big pot. Add the chicken. When the broth is boiling, layer the potpie squares into the broth, one by one. Alternate with layers of potato and onion. push down each layer gently, so the liquid will cover it.

5. Turn down the heat so it will simmer. Cover the pot. Stir gently every so often, so the noodle squares will not stick together, for about 20 minutes.

6. 

   Add parsley and saffron. Stir gently. The saffron will give the broth a beautiful yellow color and a unique and subtle flavor. Simmer for five minutes. Add paste of flour and cold water to thicken. Cook and stir gently another five minutes until a bit thicker.

7. There you have it. The ultimate comfort food is Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie. Serve to your loved ones.

8. Go down to the 'Resources' section of this page for links to more of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes.

Tips & Warnings

• Saffron is actually the stamens of crocus flowers, collected by hand.

Resources

• How to Make Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet eggs
• How to Make Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup
• How to Make Soft Pretzels Like the Pennsylvania Dutch
• How to Stop Amish Friendship Bread