Turkey Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping

An excellent recipe for Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping was published in the September 2010 issue of Cook's Illustrated.   The recipe has also been featured on the America's Test Kitchen TV show on PBS.  As written, it's a great recipe - it's as good as anything CI has ever published, in our opinion, and it's well worth trying out.   That recipe also inspired me to do a version using turkey stock and leftover turkey from last time I roasted a turkey.

Since the only real changes I made from Cook's Illustrated's recipe were to use already-cooked turkey and turkey stock in place of chicken breasts and chicken broth, I'm not going to claim this as an original recipe, and as such, I can't print the recipe here.  I can show you the preparation process and the results, though.  As with all CI recipes, Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping is available with a paid (or free temporary) membership to http://www.cooksillustrated.com/, so you can check there if you want the recipe.

First off you make the topping.  It's wonderfully flaky, and rich and a bit spicy due to Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.   Really, it's just plain delicious.  This topping is the primary factor that elevates this recipe beyond "good" to "truly excellent."

Next up, you cook onion, carrots and celery, then mushrooms.  After that, you melt some butter, stir in flour and whisk in turkey stock and milk to make a thick sauce.

The sauce is combined with the cooked vegetables and the cooked turkey, all of which is poured into a casserole dish.   The topping is sprinkled on top and the whole thing goes into the oven. 

After about 15 minutes of baking and a sprinkle of parsley, it's ready:  Bubbling filling, nicely-browned topping, the whole thing delicious and absolutely satisfying.

In addition to a really, really nice dinner, we got four servings of leftovers.  This was just as good warmed up as it was hot out of the oven.

Making this finished off the last of our leftover turkey, but next time I bake a turkey, it's very likely I'll make this recipe again.   In the meantime, I can always make the recipe as-written.  All that's different is that you simmer chicken breasts in broth, chop up the chicken and use the broth as the base for the sauce.  I'm guessing the results will be equally delicious.