Thursday, December 19, 2024

Chicken Pot Pie

Pot Pies are glorious and satisfying at any time of the year.

Whip up a batch when the harvest is fresh and the days are breezy and long, and enjoy with a glass of fresh milk or lemonade for a perfect summer dinner with family and friends.

But pot pies really shine in being able to make the most of meats and vegetables that have been in storage, less tender cuts of meat, and anything that might have been overlong in the freezer. 

Making a pot pie is really more of a process than a recipe, lending itself nicely to  using anything in the winter storage pantry. I've assembled a list below of various vegtables that take pot pies from good to excellent. The key is to work with what you have and to blend the flavors. If you've harvested the meat yourself, this is an excellent dish for the older, less-tender birds. 

Pot pie can make the most of carrots and potatoes, if that's all you have on hand, though I wouldn't want to try to make one without celery, and onion is the key to the broth flavor. Feel free to add turmeric if you'd like to help boost the cold-busting properties.

This recipe doubles and even quadruples well without adding much time to the overall process; make up a whole mess of pies at one time and freeze a few. They go from the freezer to the oven for heating up. 

Ingredients

Filling:
1 pound of chicken, shredded or cubed 
1 cup chopped carrots 
1 cups other vegetables, such as frozen peas.
½ cup sliced celery
⅓ cup butter
⅓ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon tarragon (or thyme, celery seed, or rosemary, as desired and as available)
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
⅔ cup milk 
 
Note: Cube the meat before cooking. This helps tenderize it and gives it a quick cooking time. If you're using leftover meat from a previous cooked bird, shredding the meat is fine.  
Crust:
2 crusts suitable for deep dish 9" pie plate. Make the crust from scratch  or use premade.

Equipment

  • Braiser. I like to use a braiser for the filling, but you can use a heavy saucepan or whatever you have on hand that makes sense and has enough room to handle the amount you are cooking.
  • 9-inch Pie plate: This is excellent for deep-dish pies, but shallow works just as well.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
  2. Place a crust into a 9" pie plate. 
  3. Make the filling: Combine chicken, vegetables, and celery in a braiser; add just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and drain. Place mix into the bottom pie shell.
  4. Melt butter in the braiser over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 
  5. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and spices.
  6. Slowly stir in broth and milk.
  7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over the vegetables in the pie shell.
  8. Cover the pie with the second crust, sealing the edges, and cut away any excess dough. Make several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
| 30 minutes prep time | 45 minutes baking and cooling |

Great Vegetables for Pot Pie

  • More celery
  • More onion
  • Mushrooms
  • Zuchini
  • Summer Squash
  • Eggplant
  • Corn
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Snap Peas
  • Snow Peas
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Potatoes

Solid additions to pot pies

These vegetables have a great body, but can change the overall flavor profile of the dish. Use them as you will.
  • Bell Peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Lima Beans


Storing Vegetables without Plastic