chicken pot pie
Decadent, rich, steaming, lovely pie! It’s just SO good. This is a little more involved than the recipes above, but boy is it worth it on a cold winter day. MMMM-MMMM!
2-3 cups crockpot poached chicken, cut in bite-sized cubes or chunks
4 cups carrots and peeled potatoes—in whatever proportions you like—cubed in ¼ or ½ inch dice, and steamed until just tender
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 stick of celery, diced very finely
Sauce veloute:
3 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
4 cups broth from poaching the chicken, hot
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Flaky pie crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbs cold butter
1 Tbs vegetable shortening or lard
½ tspn salt
1/3 cup or so of ice water
1. Make the pie crust:
a. mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
b. add the butter, cubed, and the lard to the flour
c. with a pastry blender, a fork, a pair of butter knives, or your fingers working very quickly, mash the shortening and butter into the flour until it is incorporated but there are still pieces of butter up to pea size, and the mixture is moving toward the consistency of cornmeal.
d. toss the mixture with a fork while gently turning the bowl and adding a few drops of the ice water at a time. When the mixture just starts to seem like it is coming together, and there is very little loose flour left, gently and very quickly knead the dough in the bowl a few times to pull it all together. It should not be dry and crumbly, but it should definitely not be sticky and wet either. I have discovered over the years that making pie dough takes practice, but once you get it is about the easiest thing in the world to make.
e. pull the mixture into a nice ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and flatten the ball into a big, thick disk. Put the disc in the fridge for at least a half hour while you get the rest of the pie ready.
2. Get the vegetables and chicken ready:
a. put the chicken in a big mixing bowl with the just-tender diced carrots and potatoes.
b. sauté the onions and celery in butter or olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the celery just tender. Add them to the bowl of chicken and other vegetables
c. add the frozen peas.
3. Make the sauce veloute:
a. In a small sauce pan, bring the broth to a boil and continue boiling until the volume is reduced by half, to concentrate the flavor.
b. melt the butter in a saucepan.
c. stir in the flour and cook over medium heat a minute or two. Do not let the mixture begin to brown.
d. remove from heat and whisk in the hot broth.
e. bring to a boil and boil for a minute or so, stirring. You should have a nice thick sauce.
f. stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Make the pie:
a. pour the sauce veloute into the bowl with the chicken and vegetables and stir to mix. (This can all be done a day ahead and refrigerated overnight if desired.)
b. put the mixture into a deep-dish pie dish or casserole. (If you don’t have a dish big enough for the whole mixture, you can divide the mixture and the crust in two, and make two smaller, thinner pies in regular 9 inch pie pans. You may need to double the crust recipe if you do this.)
c. roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is big enough to overlap the pie dish by an inch or more all the way around.
d. whisk an egg in a small bowl and brush some of the egg on the top and inside-top edges of the pie dish(es). Place the crust on top of the dish(es) and let the overlapping part hang over. Press the crust gently into the brushed-on egg, and then just rustically roll or fold the overhanging extra crust over onto the top of the pie and gently press it into the edge. Make a slit in the center of the pie for steam to escape and brush the entire crust with the remaining egg mixture.
e. bake the pie in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes if the ingredients went in hot, or an hour, if needed, if the ingredients went in cold. The crust should be nice and golden when finished.
Let the pie cool slightly before digging in. Then, enjoy the fruits of you labor!
2-3 cups crockpot poached chicken, cut in bite-sized cubes or chunks
4 cups carrots and peeled potatoes—in whatever proportions you like—cubed in ¼ or ½ inch dice, and steamed until just tender
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 stick of celery, diced very finely
Sauce veloute:
3 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
4 cups broth from poaching the chicken, hot
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Flaky pie crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbs cold butter
1 Tbs vegetable shortening or lard
½ tspn salt
1/3 cup or so of ice water
1. Make the pie crust:
a. mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
b. add the butter, cubed, and the lard to the flour
c. with a pastry blender, a fork, a pair of butter knives, or your fingers working very quickly, mash the shortening and butter into the flour until it is incorporated but there are still pieces of butter up to pea size, and the mixture is moving toward the consistency of cornmeal.
d. toss the mixture with a fork while gently turning the bowl and adding a few drops of the ice water at a time. When the mixture just starts to seem like it is coming together, and there is very little loose flour left, gently and very quickly knead the dough in the bowl a few times to pull it all together. It should not be dry and crumbly, but it should definitely not be sticky and wet either. I have discovered over the years that making pie dough takes practice, but once you get it is about the easiest thing in the world to make.
e. pull the mixture into a nice ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and flatten the ball into a big, thick disk. Put the disc in the fridge for at least a half hour while you get the rest of the pie ready.
2. Get the vegetables and chicken ready:
a. put the chicken in a big mixing bowl with the just-tender diced carrots and potatoes.
b. sauté the onions and celery in butter or olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the celery just tender. Add them to the bowl of chicken and other vegetables
c. add the frozen peas.
3. Make the sauce veloute:
a. In a small sauce pan, bring the broth to a boil and continue boiling until the volume is reduced by half, to concentrate the flavor.
b. melt the butter in a saucepan.
c. stir in the flour and cook over medium heat a minute or two. Do not let the mixture begin to brown.
d. remove from heat and whisk in the hot broth.
e. bring to a boil and boil for a minute or so, stirring. You should have a nice thick sauce.
f. stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Make the pie:
a. pour the sauce veloute into the bowl with the chicken and vegetables and stir to mix. (This can all be done a day ahead and refrigerated overnight if desired.)
b. put the mixture into a deep-dish pie dish or casserole. (If you don’t have a dish big enough for the whole mixture, you can divide the mixture and the crust in two, and make two smaller, thinner pies in regular 9 inch pie pans. You may need to double the crust recipe if you do this.)
c. roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is big enough to overlap the pie dish by an inch or more all the way around.
d. whisk an egg in a small bowl and brush some of the egg on the top and inside-top edges of the pie dish(es). Place the crust on top of the dish(es) and let the overlapping part hang over. Press the crust gently into the brushed-on egg, and then just rustically roll or fold the overhanging extra crust over onto the top of the pie and gently press it into the edge. Make a slit in the center of the pie for steam to escape and brush the entire crust with the remaining egg mixture.
e. bake the pie in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes if the ingredients went in hot, or an hour, if needed, if the ingredients went in cold. The crust should be nice and golden when finished.
Let the pie cool slightly before digging in. Then, enjoy the fruits of you labor!