Chicken Pot Pie - Party Size

Chicken Pot Pie -- Party Size

Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten 

Makes two extra large casserole dishes

Ingredients:

• 3 pints canned chicken
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt-and-pepper
• 15 cups chicken stock
• 2 ¼ cups (4 ½  sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 cups yellow onions, chopped (6 onions)
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 cup heavy cream or sour cream
• 8 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 8 cups diced potatoes, boiled five minutes
• 8 cups frozen peas 
• 4 cups diced celery

For the pastry:

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 to 1 1/3 cups 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 stockpot, heat the chicken 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 1-2 Tablespoons salt (2 if chicken stock is unsalted), 1 ½ teaspoons pepper, and heavy cream or sour 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 2 extra-large rectangular casserole dishes.  Divide dough in half and roll out dough into rectangles to cover casserole dishes. 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.

*Alternatively you could use store-bought pie crust or puff pastry from the grocery store in lieu of the homemade pastry topping.

Delicious!