Chicken Pot Pie

chicken pot pie

Talk about comfort food, Chicken Pot Pie is a perfect dinner for a cold winter’s supper.

Chicken Pot Pie does a pretty good job of covering all the food groups and consists of chicken, onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and potatoes baked in a casserole that has been topped with pastry. 

Serve it with a nice green salad and you have a perfect meal.

Chicken Pot Pie

Serves 6 - 7

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, roasted (or 3 cups of cooked and diced leftover chicken)
  • 1/2 your favourite pastry recipe (to cover a 3 quart (3 L) casserole)
  • 1 Medium onion (medium chop, carmelized)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 Cups unsalted chicken broth
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • good grinding of pepper
  • 2 Cups sliced mushrooms
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Medium to large carrots (peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces)
  • 2 celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
  • 2 Large potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 Large egg + 1 tbsp of water mixed together

Directions

if using fresh chicken breasts, roast at 350 deg F for about 30 minutes. Cool and then cut into bite sized pieces.
Heat about a tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped onion and cook over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes until soft and caramelized. Stir frequently, being careful not to burn.
Chicken Pot Pie - caramelize the onions
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and a good grinding of pepper. It should form a soft roux. Add about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and the onions and stir (the mixture will start to thicken).
Chicken Pot Pie - making the roux
Return to the heat and gradually add the rest of the chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.
Add carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook until fork tender.
Chicken Pot Pie - add the rest of the vegetables to the sauce
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, cook the mushrooms in the 2 tbsp of butter.
Chicken Pot Pie - cooking the mushrooms
Add mushrooms, peas and chicken to vegetable mixture. Mix well and pour into large casserole
Cover with rolled pastry and slash to allow steam to escape. Brush the top with the egg wash (the egg and water mixed together).

Bake in preheated 400F (200C) oven for about 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden.
Chicken Pot Pie
Let it set for 10 minutes before serving
Try Phyllo Pastry for a change-up
Traditionally it is made in a large casserole with a pastry topping, but I have also made it cooked in phyllo pastry.

Defrost your phyllo pastry and working quickly butter 4 sheets of phyllo and lay them in the casserole dish turning each one slightly so that all of the edges have part of the phyllo hanging over. Pour the mixture into the casserole and lay the overhanging pieces on top of the filling.

Brush with melted butter and bake as indicated above.

and my favourite pastry recipe (only need to make 1/2 of the recipe)

Crisco Pastry

Serves enough for a double-crust pie

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 Tsp salt
  • 1 cup Crisco shortening
  • 4 Tbsp water

Directions

Measure the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and cut it in using a pastry cutter or two knive cutting together until the flour/shortening mixture resembles pea sized pieces
Mix in the water and stir with a fork, just until all the ingredients are clinging together. Do not over mix or the pastry will be tough.
Flour the top of your counter and around the sides of your rolling pin. Draw together about 1/2 of the pastry mixture and liberally sprinkle with flour. Pat into a circle about an inch thick and then roll it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick.
At this stage, you can either cut the dough into circles to fit into tart tins or use this half of the recipe to fill the bottom of a 8 - 10 inch pie plate. If you are making tarts, you can probably re-roll the scraps one or two more times and then the remaining pastry will be too tough to work with. Repeat with the second half of the pastry.
Pastry needs to be baked at a high temperature (400 deg F) for at least 10 minutes for pies that are then reduced to about 350 deg F until the filling is cooked or for tarts you may continue to cook at 400 deg F for about another 5 minutes to cook the centre and finish the cooking of the pastry.

 

 

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