Today's Case:

Slick Pot Pie

Re: “Slick Pot Pie”
From: Mary
Date: 11/22/2023, 9:04 AM
To: Phaedrus 

On 11/21/2023 6:15 PM, Mary wrote:

Hello,
I so appreciate your work and admire the results!
I’m reaching out because I have had no success myself. 
I'm trying to find a recipe for a chicken pie that dates 
back 60+ years.
My great aunts made this chicken pie with a bottom and 
top crust.  It may have had dumplings as well.  As far as 
I can remember, it was a simple pie without much in the 
way of vegetables. I think the name came from the bottom 
crust and possibly the dumplings which were “slick”, not 
raised. Hopefully this is a regional dish (St. Louis or Ohio) 
and not just a family recipe.
I’ll appreciate any info you can provide.

Mary

Hi Mary,

I found several mentions of "slick pot pie" and more mentions of the same dish but with the names "slippery pot pie" or "Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie."

Although this dish is called a "pot pie", it is more like a cross between "chicken pot pie" and "chicken and dumplings." Many recipes call it "chicken and flat dumplings" instead of "pot pie." It appears to have originally been an Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch/Mennonite recipe. Recipes for it do not typically call for it to have a top and/or bottom crust, but that's an easy variation. There is also a lot of variation in the amount  of vegetables. Some recipes call for very little in the way of vegetables, but others have the usual potatoes and carrots and peas, etc like familiar chicken pot pie recipes.

Most recipes give instructions for making the large, square dumplings, but you can also buy the dumplings ready-made at many supermarkets, particularly the brand "Anne's". WalMart has them. See: Anne's Flat Dumplings. Note that it says "Slick Pot Pie" right on the package. There are recipes for the dish, some with photos, on these sites:

Fall Comfort Foods

Slippery Chicken Pot Pie

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

Old Fashioned Chicken and Slick Dumplings

Phaed