Chicken Pot Pie

Four elements: 1. Make the filling 2. Prepare the Crust 3. Fill it 4. Bake it!

You’ll need: Dutch oven or 4 quart pot, a 9 x 12 x 2 casserole, a rolling pin, a pastry brush

Ingredients for Filling - Serves 6:

Olive oil - about 1/4 cup
1/2 Roasted chicken - Shortcut; buy a rotisserie chicken.
- Note: You can use the whole chicken if you want a protein heavy pie. All other ingredients stay the same.
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (made up of dried thyme, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, fennel, lavender)
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Note: Morton’s Kosher Salt. If using another salt, adjust accordingly.
2 cups chicken stock
3 tbl butter, unsalted, room temperature
2 tbl cornstarch or 4 tbl flour
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup Frozen green peas (optional)
1 beaten egg for egg wash

Ingredients for Double crust ( 9” x 12" casserole):

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Note: To use this crust for a sweet pie, add 1 to 2 tbl sugar, depending on how sweet you like it.

Make the Filling - pre-heat oven to 375 degrees:

After you enjoyed eating half of the roasted chicken, take the other half apart. Remove the skin, and take all the meat off the bone. Cut into bite size pieces. Set aside.
- If you don’t have a leftover 1/2 chicken, use 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 - 6 boneless, skinless thighs. Cut into bite size pieces and cook in the Dutch oven after the aromatics have cooked.
- You can also buy a rotisserie chicken to use.
In a Dutch Oven, cover the bottom with olive oil heating on medium to medium high heat.
Add the aromatics; onion, carrot, fennel, celery and leek. When they are translucent, add the spices, salt and pepper.
Add the chicken and stir to incorporate and heat through (if using uncooked chicken, add it now and saute until just cooked).
Add 2 cups of stock, and cook until hot and assertively simmering.
In a separate small bowl, add soft butter and flour together, and mash with a fork to blend, creating a “roux”.
Add the “roux” to the chicken mixture. Cook until it gets thick. If needed, add a bit more flour, 1 tbl at a time, but remember it thickens as it cools.
Add the cream to the mixture and continue cooking until hot and simmering. Last chance to taste the filling for seasoning and adjust.
As it cools it will get thicker.
Set aside to cool while rolling out the dough.

Crust Preparation in Food Processor:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt.
Add cubed butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds.
To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two almost equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic.
The “half” that is ever so slightly bigger will be the bottom.
Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Crust Preparation by hand:

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add cubed butter, and work into flour with fingertips by pressing butter cubes into flat discs, then incorporate into flour until it resembles coarse meal.
Add ice water in slowly working with your fingers until dough holds together without being wet or sticky.
To test, squeeze a small amount together. It should hold together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tsp at a time.
Divide dough into two almost equal balls. Flatten each ball into a square and wrap in plastic. It’s easy to shape it now while it’s not cold.
The “half” that is ever so slightly bigger will be the bottom.
Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Getting the aromatics going 2. Thickening the chicken filling 3. Ready for the oven with a sprinkling of finishing salt and cracked black pepper.

Rolling out the dough:

There are a lot of steps listed below, because I’ve tried to give you the best tips for putting the crust together. But, they are quick and intuitive, so don’t feel overwhelmed. If you do, read the last note at the end of this recipe ; )

Roll out the bigger dough square first, on a well floured surface, shaping it into a large rectangle. Make sure it’s bigger that the bottom of the casserole dish you will be using, by at least 1/2”, including the sides i.e., if the casserole is 2” deep, the pastry should be 2.5” larger than the bottom of the casserole.
- NOTE: You could also make individual pies, using the same dough, but cutting it into rounds to cover an oven proof bowl.
Place the larger sheet of pastry in the bottom of the casserole with the dough coming up over the edge of the casserole, by 1/2”. There is enough butter in the dough to prevent sticking.
There should be enough pastry so that it can come 1/2” over the top edge of the casserole.
Before you fill it, have the top pastry sheet rolled and ready to be put in place.
Brush the bottom sheet with the egg wash. This seals the bottom dough.
At this point, the filling should be thick, like a stew, not soupy, and it should be cool.
Fill the casserole dish. The filling should come to about 1/4 inch below the top of the casserole.
Place second sheet of pastry on top of the filling. The sheet should be big enough to completely cover the top and have 1/2 inch overhang.
Bring the top and bottom crusts together and pinch them together firmly.
Bring the extra crust edges up inside the casserole and create your fluting, or use fork tines to crimp top an bottom together.
- I use all the dough, because I love the crust, but if you want a super neat edge, by all means trim away the excess.
Brush the crust with the egg wash, all over the center and the edges.
Cut a small air vent in the center of the pie. Do this after the egg wash.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven, set aside to cool slightly, while serving a first course.
- Tip: A crisp green salad makes a great first course for this rich pie.
- NOTE: If you want a major shortcut, buy store bought puff pastry dough. Defrost it, following package instructions. Roll it out per instructions above, and bake the same way.