Chicken Pot Pie

Yesterday for FHE we had homemade chicken pot pie that was to die for. I found a recipe from my favorite food network chef, Ina Garten. We made a few minor adjustments to the recipe, and here’s the result:

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pint canned chicken
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt-and-pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 2 cups diced potatoes, boiled five minutes
• 2 cups frozen peas (10 ounce package)
• 1 cup diced celery

 

For the pastry:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• Salt-and-pepper

 

Directions:

Drain canned chicken, reserving broth for sauce. Place chicken in large bowl. Add olive oil and sprinkle with salt and Pepper. Mix together thoroughly. Set aside while preparing vegetables. Add vegetables to chicken mixture.

 

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add to the chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Mix well.

 

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

Pour filling into rectangular casserole dish.  Rollout dough into rectangle to cover casserole dish. Crimp the edges. Brush the dough with egg wash.  Cut slits in top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for one hour or until the top is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot.

 

*to make two extra large glass casserole dishes, we tripled the recipe for the filling and doubled the recipe for the pastry.

Alternatively you could use puff pastry from the grocery store in lieu of the homemade pastry topping.

Delicious!