Chicken Pot Pie Is 10x More Flavorful When You Add A Pinch Of This Spice To Your Filling

Even at its most basic, chicken pot pie is a warm, filling serving of comfort wrapped in a flaky crust. The savory gravy keeps the chicken moist and bridges the gap among the vegetables, while the crust holds in the heat and provides a lightly crisp, buttery bite to contrast against the salty, savory deliciousness within. However, one of the most common mistakes you can make with chicken pot pie is under-seasoning it. This gives the dish a well-earned reputation for being a bit one-note in the flavor department, which is where clever seasoning comes into play.

In addition to salt, pepper, sage, and thyme, a grate or two of nutmeg truly brings this dish to life. Nutmeg is a spice native to Indonesia, the dried seed of trees native to the region. Whole seeds are hard, round, and about the size of a ping-pong ball, releasing their warm, lightly spicy, fragrant seasoning when ground. Though most often associated with autumnal desserts, nutmeg is also incredible in savory poultry dishes like chicken pot pie.

The warm, earthy, lemony flavor subtly permeates the dish, waking up the other seasonings and flavors to make them more intense. Simply add a pinch or two to the gravy as it's thickening up, giving the nutmeg enough time to bloom without burning and becoming bitter. Once the gravy is bundled into the crust and baked, the flavors of the nutmeg will continue to intensify and marry with the rest of the dish, creating a beautifully nuanced, sophisticated flavor profile.

One of the most important chicken pot pie tips to adhere to is to use care when adding your seasonings, especially when it comes to nutmeg, as it's easily possible to have too much of a good thing. You truly only need a tiny pinch or two of it (about ⅛ teaspoon) to flavor the whole recipe, as the idea is not to taste the nutmeg itself, but to use it to elevate the other seasonings and flavors. This is especially true if you decide to grate it in from a whole nutmeg seed, as whole spices are often more potent than the ground, bottled stuff from grocery store shelves.

The best way to avoid accidentally using too much is to either measure out pre-ground nutmeg into the palm of your hand and sprinkle it in, or grate a whole nutmeg over a small, separate bowl. However, if you do add a little too much, all is not lost, as adding a bay leaf, a little more black pepper, or a spoonful of chicken bullion paste are all quick, easy fixes. Not to mention, the tiniest hint of extra nutmeg may be welcome if you're giving your chicken pot pie an autumnal makeover with cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. These veggies have a natural sweetness that interacts beautifully with nutmeg, especially if you also add a little spice from red pepper flakes or a touch of hot sauce.