Japanese Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Mini versions of the Japanese Curry Pot Pie!

If there’s one dish that brings together my love for bold flavors and hearty comfort food, it’s this Japanese Curry Chicken Pot Pie.

Inspired by Samin Nosrat’s iconic Chicken Pot Pie recipe from her Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat cookbook, I decided to give it a twist with the bold, umami-packed flavors of Japanese curry.

The idea came to me after making a traditional chicken pot pie for my husband, Elliott. He loved it so much that he devoured half the pie in one sitting! Naturally, I thought, “What if I swapped the filling for Japanese curry?”

This recipe is a delightful mash-up of my old favorite neighborhood curry spot’s chicken katsu curry (shout out to Volcano in San Francisco!) and the buttery, flaky crust that makes pot pies so irresistible.

It’s a cozy, satisfying dish that’s perfect for chilly nights, holiday gatherings, or whenever you’re craving something truly special.

Getting Started

Start with the pie crust. I recommend Samin Nosrat’s pie crust recipe. Instead of using a stand mixer, I use my hands or a grater to crumble the frozen butter. Recipe for that is here. Beginning with the pie crust ensures that it has time to rest and it’s ready to go when your filling is done.
Gather all of your ingredients. This recipe does call for some preparation - ensure you have everything you need!
Decide on homemade curry roux or store-bought roux. Instructions for making homemade roux are below, for store-bought, I recommend S&B Golden Curry (spice level is up to you!)

Japanese Curry Pot Pie Recipe

Prep Time for Filling: 20 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients for Japanese Curry Pot Pie Filling

1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 thumb-sized knob of freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp of tube ginger)
1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (substitute with a protein of your choice)
2-3 carrots, chopped in bite sized chunks
1-2 large potatoes or 5-6 small potatoes, chopped in bite sized chunks
1 Fuji apple, peeled and grated
1 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of ketchup
1-2 tbsp of soy sauce (if using box mix, use 1 tbsp to start)
4 cups of chicken broth (water is a great substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Japanese Curry Pot Pie:

1. Prep your chicken; thoroughly dry and salt the chicken. Cut into bite sized pieces.

2. Add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant and soft, 7-8 minutes.

3. Add the chicken to the onion mixture. Cook the chicken until it gets light in color on the outside. It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way as it will continue to cook in the broth.

4. Add in the chopped carrots and potatoes.

5. Pour in the chicken broth/stock. Ensure the ingredients are covered, bring to a boil and simmer for ~15-20 minutes. While it’s boiling, make your home made curry mix**.

**If using boxed curry mix, add it in once the broth or water has come to a boil. Once boiling, skim any fat off the top. Cut your curry mix into 4-6 smaller pieces. Put a few blocks at a time in a bowl with broth from your pot. Mix up up so it becomes like a paste and then add it into the pot. Stir well and skip to step 6.

How to Make Homemade Japanese Curry Roux

Ingredients

Flour
Butter
Curry powder
Garam masala
Cayenne pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Melt 5 tbsp of butter and then add 7 tbsp of flour into the butter and mix it. Let this cook down for about 15-20 minutes until it turns dark brown. Make sure to continuously stir or else the bottom can burn.
Add in 2 tbsp of curry powder, 2 tbsp of garam masala and 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.
Stir for 30 seconds and then remove from the heat, add in salt and pepper to taste.

6. Return to your pot. Skim out any fat that’s come up to the top.

7. Add 1 coarsely grated Fuji apple. Take a large spoonful of the broth and mix it into the curry roux until the texture is smooth. Once smooth, add to the chicken mixture.

8. Preheat your oven to 400° degrees.

9. Enhance the flavor by adding 1 tbsp of ketchup, a dash of honey and 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. If you’re using a box mix and skipped ahead, let simmer 5 more minutes until thick and resembles pie crust filling.

10. Prepare your pie crust in a baking glass pie pan, poke a few holes with a fork in the bottom. Scoop in the filling so that it’s heaping full. Add the pie crust on top and pinch the ends together. Make a few knife lines on the top to prevent overflow while baking. Optional: brush the top with egg white wash!

11. Bake the pie for 30-35 minutes. The pie crust should be golden brown. Serve while it’s hot!