Something about all this rainy weather we have been having is making me crave warm comfort food! Nothing says comfort food like chicken pot pie…just like your grandma used to make. I’ll tell ya, the chicken roasting in the oven and the buttery crust will have your mouth watering in no time!
For the crust: Combine the flour, butter, Parmesan and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the pastry blade. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles fine gravel. Add up to 8 tablespoons of ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Remove from the food processor and form the dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, slather the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle with the granulated garlic, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until the skin is golden and crispy and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees F, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin, pull the meat from the bones and tear it into bite-size pieces (you need 4 cups of the meat for the pie).
(A shortcut I may try next time…just use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. This would save a bunch of time.)
For the filling: Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, fennel and parsnip and cook until the vegetables are brightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and when fragrant, stir in the flour. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sherry and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. When the liquid has almost evaporated, stir in the chicken stock and milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more chicken stock to reach the desired consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, peas, parsley, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
(Another time saver could be to use frozen carrots and pre-cut onion from Trader Joe’s. Again something I may do next time if I am shorter on time.)
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle, about 15 inches long by 11 inches wide. If using individual ramekins, cut 6 circles in the shape of the ramekins plus an extra 1-inch overhang. If using a 9-by-13-inch pan or similar-sized shallow baking dish, cut to that shape plus an extra 1-inch overhang.
Pour the filling into the ramekins or pan. Lay the dough over the filling and trim to 1/2 inch from the edge. Fold the overhang under itself to create a lip around the edge and use your fingers to flute the edges, or use the tines of a fork to create an attractive edge. Alternatively, simply tuck the overhang dough into the side of the pan. Cut a 1-inch vent hole in each small pie or four to six 1-inch vent holes in a large pie.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Lightly brush the pie crust with the beaten egg. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes for small pies and about 60 minutes for a large pie. When I made this recipe, I made 3 pies and then froze half the dough and half the filling separately. I was then able to cook up 3 pies another night very easily!
CHICKEN POT PIE
YIELD:6 servings
INGREDIENTS
CRUST:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
Pinch of salt
8 tablespoons ice water
ROAST CHICKEN:
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
FILLING:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped finely
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small bulb fennel, cut into quarters and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken stock, plus additional as needed for thinning the sauce
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
TO ASSEMBLE:
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg, for egg wash
Original Recipe from Cooking Channel by Tiffani Thiessan
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