Best Chicken Pot Pie
It must have been a basic human instinct that led to the combo of meat and bread as the combo is universal, in various culturally inspired forms. In fact on this blog, I have featured several varieties and will undoubtedly feature more, to include: Scotch Pies, Arab Fateyahs, Canandian Tourtierre, Ham Pirakkha, Empanadas, French Risolles, Italian Calzones and Pizza Rolls, Sandwiches, Sandwiches and more Sandwiches, etc. Don’t we just love them!
Chicken Pot Pie really should be front and center and my attention to this treasure, which I make quite often, should be made. I rarely met a pot pie I didn’t like, Marie Callendar’s being one of my favorite.
What creates a stellar pot pie in my mind is tender meat and veggies, a rich creamy gravy, and perhaps most importantly, a delicate, flaky pastry (puff pastry is an easy substitute but doesn’t quite meet my expectation for…) In this particular recipe, the addition of Parmesan cheese to the sauce adds just a bit of richness and nuttiness to create another layer of contrast to the party of flavors or a bite to the sauce, much like sour cream would do.
Best Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups cooked chicken, thigh and breast, shredded or cut into bite-sized cubes
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 spears celery cut in 1-inch dice
2 large carrots (or 12 small carrots) cut in 1-inch dice
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups rich chicken stock or “Better Than Bullion” paste
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed thyme
dash of dried rosemary
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, boiled in jackets, cooled and chopped into 1 inch dice
Uncooked Pie crust pastry for 1, 10-inch pie (either homemade or store bought)
-In medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onions and saute until soft. Add celery and carrot and saute another 5 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
-Stir in flour for about 1 minute then add chicken stock and milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and cook covered until vegetables are tender and sauce has thickened.
-Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, potatoes, chicken, peas and parsley. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
-Prepare pie crust according to directions. (For homemade crust, see recipe below) Butter a large deep baking dish generously and spoon chicken filling into the dish. Cover the rolled out pie pastry and lift gently onto the top of the chicken mixture. Tuck the edges of the pastry in and around the filling. Score the top of pastry with air vents in a decorative fashion and brush the pastry with cream.
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the backing dish in the oven on a cookie sheet to catch spills and bake about 40 minutes until gravy is bubbly and the pie crust is golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
Pie Crust for Pot Pie
3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar ½ cup cold butter 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/3 cup ice water 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 egg, beaten
-Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender or by hand until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can be done in a food processor by pulsing the ingredients together about 10 times.)
-In another bowl, mix water, vinegar and egg. Add the liquid mixture a bit at a time to the flour mixture, tossing with hands until water is distributed (or pulsing a few times in the food processor.) Form dough into a flat, thick disc handling as little as possible. Wrap dough disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in fridge.
-Roll dough out for the size needed to cover the top of your baking dish, between 2 pieces of lightly floured waxed or parchment paper. Place gently on top of pie filling, tucking the edges in and around the edges of the filling and creating air vents on the top of the crust in a decorative fashion. Brush pastry with cream and bake according to directions above.
