Ina Garten's Dough Tip For Perfect Pot Pies

As important as it is to get the filling right, a chicken pot pie is only as good as the crust it's baked in. But one of the most common mishaps that can occur is the top crust sinking into the filling as it bakes. According to Southern Living, this is the result of the butter in the dough melting before the crust has a chance to finish baking all the way — and it happens when the filling is too hot. The easiest way to avoid this, the publication states, is to simply let the filling cool before it comes in contact with the crust. Alternatively, per Epicurious, you can stick the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes to let the butter firm up and bake the pie at a higher temperature — no lower than 350 degrees Fahrenheit — so the crust sets fast and the butter doesn't have the chance to melt gradually.

However, if you don't want to bother chilling the filling or freezing the dough, Ina Garten has a time-saving method that will still effectively prevent your chicken pot pie crust from sinking.

Regardless of what type of pie you're baking, you'll need egg wash for the final step. As The Spruce Eats explains, this mixture of egg and water acts as a glaze that gives pastries a shiny golden finish. But when making chicken pot pie, egg wash also has a non-aesthetic purpose.

In an episode of "Barefoot Contessa" (via YouTube), Ina Garten shares that before placing the rolled out pie dough on top of the pie, she brushes egg wash onto the edges of the baking dish. As she explained in the episode, this allows it to adhere to the baking dish, which will ultimately prevent the crust from sinking into the filling. It also means she doesn't have to cool it beforehand. As you'll see in the video, Garten assembles her pot pie right after she finishes preparing the filling on the stove. Even though the filling is still hot, the crust doesn't sink in as it bakes. Instead, it puffs out because the egg wash holds the edges in place.