Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie (Empadão de Frango)
Flaky, buttery crust and creamy chicken filling—this Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie is the ultimate comfort food for cozy family dinners.
Equipment
- 9 or 10 inch spring form pan Please see notes!!!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 300 g unsalted butter cold and cubed (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour about 450g
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
- 900 g skinless, boneless chicken breast 2 lbs
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 200g whipping cream or heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley to taste
- 400 g 14 oz spreadable cream cheese (see notes below!) or requeijão
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Start with the filling so it has time to cool while you prep the dough.
- Cook the chicken in a pressure cooker or regular pot with water until tender or use a pressure cooker. Shred and set aside. (I cooked mine for 10 minutes under high pressure and then allowed for a natural pressure release before shredding).900 g skinless, boneless chicken breast
- In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onion cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 min.drizzle of olive oil, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Stir in the shredded chicken, paprika, and tomato sauce. Mix well.1/2 cup tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons paprika
- Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the fresh herbs and let cool completely.200g whipping cream, Chopped parsley, Salt and black pepper to taste
Make the crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and mix with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.300 g unsalted butter, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the egg and gently mix until it comes together — don’t overwork it!1 large egg
- Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Use about 2/3 of the dough to line the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll it out between two sheets of plastic or parchment to avoid sticking.
- Add half of the chicken filling, then spread a generous layer of spreadable cream cheese (see note!) or requeijão, and finish with the rest of the filling.400 g 14 oz spreadable cream cheese (see notes below!)
- Roll out the remaining dough and cover the top. Trim and press the edges to seal. Decorate with scraps if you’d like!
- Brush with a beaten egg yolk and bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown.1 egg yolk
Video
Notes
1)This pie is traditionally made with requeijão, a creamy Brazilian cheese. If you can’t find it, cream cheese works beautifully — just make sure it’s spreadable, not watery.
2)To make cream cheese spreadable: Beat 400g of cream cheese in a stand mixer and slowly add 6–8 tablespoons of milk, one at a time, until it's smooth and easy to spread. You can tweak the consistency to your liking, but it should hold its shape and it should not be runny.
3) Don’t overwork the dough! The less you knead, the flakier it’ll be.
4) Pan size matters! This recipe was originally developed for a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. I ended up using a 10-inch (25 cm) one this time because I couldn’t find my 9-inch—and while it did work, I didn’t have quite enough dough to bring the top crust all the way up the sides. So if you're using a larger pan, just know it may not look as neat, and it’s harder to gauge how to stretch your dough evenly. Still delicious though!
4) Feel free to tweak the filling — add olives, diced tomatoes, corn, or your favorite seasonings.
5)Keep in mind calories provided are an estimate and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and brands used.