What Sets Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie Apart From The Classic

For many people, the thought of chicken pot pie brings to mind a rich mixture of chicken and vegetables in a thick sauce, all baked under a golden brown pie crust. However, in parts of Pennsylvania, that's not what you'll get if you order chicken pot pie. Instead, you'll get a steaming, slightly soupy plate of stewed chicken with thick, homemade egg noodle squares. It's more akin to chicken noodle soup than that familiar crusted meat pie.

This uncrusted version of pot pie is a throwback to the German and Swiss immigrants who populated the area around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and has been a popular way to fill hungry bellies for hundreds of years. Most versions of pot pie are a clever cook's way to stretch a humble amount of meat to feed a table full of hungry family and guests, including this noodle-rich version. Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie allowed rural families to use all parts of a backyard chicken — the simmered broth and meat from a hen and the noodles made from the undeveloped eggs inside the bird create an economical meal.

The recipe is often handed down by word of mouth in families but is remarkably similar all around the region. A whole chicken (or sometimes just leg quarters) is simmered until the meat is tender. After straining the cooking broth, the chicken is pulled off and added back to the broth with a handful of carrots and perhaps other veggies on hand. Then, handmade egg noodle squares are boiled in the mixture. The floury noodles add texture to the broth, allowing it to thicken ever so slightly, and the noodles become rich with the flavor of homemade chicken broth.

These days, you might find special pot pie noodles in the grocery store in areas of Pennsylvania and surrounding states, but most families swear by the thinly rolled, homemade version that's kneaded together from flour, egg yolks, and a bit of moisture from either milk, chicken broth, or water. The noodles are cut into spoonable squares, and although this version of pot pie sounds like it should be in a bowl, it's traditionally served on a regular dinner plate.