3.14

On Sunday, we had the whole mishpucka over for a big batch of Chicken Pot Pies from scratch. I’ve been promising my favorite sister in law these pot pies for years now and I finally delivered on my promise. Let it never be said I am not a procrastinator. Also let it never be said that these little beauties weren’t worth the wait.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Ezra Pound Cake, but it is actually a recipe from Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen. This is her “All Sold Out Chocken Pot Pie” which I have, naturally, modified to my liking. Feel free to play around with the filling, adding veggies you enjoy in your pot pies and omitting ones you don’t. The original recipe calls for green beans…personally, I don’t particularly dig green beans in my pie, so out they went. You get the drift….

Here is the recipe as I made is, but feel free to google this shizz if you’re interested in the original version. You’re welcome.

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from The Pastry Queen

For the Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

10 oz. sliced button mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper

1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded

8-10 oz package frozen peas

8-10 oz package frozen corn

For the Cream Sauce

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup whole milk or fat free half & half or a combination of the two. Or heavy cream if you’re feeling really naughty.

1 tsp Tobasco

Salt and white pepper

For the Pie Crust

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

3 cups all purpose flour

8 oz chilled cream cheese, cut into large pieces

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black or white pepper

2-3 TBS ice water

1 large egg

Instructions

To make the filling:

Melt the butter in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and  carrots & saute for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant. Stir in the crushed red pepper, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir the frozen vegetables and the chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.

To make the cream sauce:

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup (about 3 minutes). Add the milk, tabasco, salt and white pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine. Transfer the filling to individual oven safe dishes.

To make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the ice water, 1 TBS at a time and continue pulsing until the dough just barely sticks together and forms a ball. You don’t want it very wet at all.

Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the baking dishes and cut dough into pieces that are slightly larger. Lay the dough on top of the pot pies, and tuck any overhanging edges under. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Yields: 8-12 servings

p.s. Do not be intimidated by the crust. Crusts intimidate the hell out of me, but the cream cheese in this makes it the simplest thing in the world to work with and pull together. Trust.