Chicken Pot Pie

I’m not sure what’s been getting into me lately, but I’ve been cooking more than usual. And I’m so happy to say that for this recipe, I finally got to break out my brand new food processor for the first time! And I guess they’re not kidding when they tell you to watch out for the steel blade; it cut right through me and I wouldn’t have even known if it weren’t for the blood! But don’t worry, I’m okay

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Pastry

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed

Filling

14 Tbs. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sherry cooking wine (mehh…I’m not old enough to buy alcohol)
4 cups chicken stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2 carrots, peeled and cut into slices 1/8 inch thick
6 oz. small red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used Perdue honey roasted)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water


To make the pastry, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and butter and process with 15 rapid on-off pulses; the mixture should look light and dry and resemble tiny, irregular flakes and crumbs. Add 5 Tbs. of the water and process with 5 rapid on-off pulses. Add the remaining 3 Tbs. water and process with 3 rapid on-off pulses. Stop and feel the dough (taking care not to touch the blade); it should be just damp enough to mass together. If necessary, add more water by tablespoonfuls, pulsing briefly after each addition. The total mixing time is less than 1 minute, and the dough should remain a rough, shaggy mass
Using floured hands, pat the dough into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger dough disk into 4 small rounds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake
Preheat an oven to 400ºF
To make the filling, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the sherry. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the onion, carrots and corn and cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes
Transfer the filling to 4 aluminum loaf pans (you know, the one-time use ones). Lay the pastry rounds over the tops and press the edges to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving (however this recipe will make enough for five loaf pans, so I made one without crust)

Close-up of the filling during its cooling time

Scooping out the filling for the individual pot pies

Pre-baked crust

Post-baked crust. Look at those golden tops! Don’t they look delicious?!

And they certainly were! However, the potatoes were a little harder than I would have liked and I should have tasted them while they were in the pot because they could have benefited from a few more minutes of cooking time . Nonetheless, still a great recipe that I would definitely make again!

Tagged: carrots, chicken, chicken stock, corn, onion, peas, potatoes, savory, sherry