Adventures In Tarte Au Poulet
Right up near the top of the “America’s Comfort Foods” list has to be chicken pot pie. Hard to say whether it beats out macaroni and cheese but the precise hierarchy can be a debate for someone else. For today, we’re going to talk about chicken pot pie.
My mother and I have different opinions on chicken pot pie. My mother uses pre-made chicken gravy as the base for her filling. She loves it. I think it tastes nice, but I like my version better. And while I usually go for the “quick and easy” option, I make my chicken pot pie from scratch. Well, not the pastry part…just the filling.
You can of course use any vegetables of your own choice, but I like the classic French mirepoix base of diced carrots, celery, and onion. To which I also add sliced mushrooms because I love them. Simmer them in butter and then add some flour to create a roux. (I’m all about the French techniques today…I feel so fancy!) Add chicken broth and milk (or cream), add some diced cooked chicken, and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you wanna be extra fancy, you can add a dash of cayenne and a dash of nutmeg. Simmer this mixture until it’s the consistency that you desire, then portion it between two oven-safe serving dishes. Top with pie crust or puff pastry, and then bake in the oven until the pie crust is cooked. Voila!
Now, I don’t know about you, but my general experience with chicken pot pie is that the filling is generally the temperature of molten lava and I invariably burn my mouth on it. Part of the problem is that the pie crust really holds the heat in. So, you could top it with something else if you wanted…I like to cut an uncooked biscuit (Pillsbury makes very nice biscuit dough) into pieces and put that on top instead of pie crust. Unlike pie crust, which breaks and flakes, the biscuits stay in shape and it’s easy to get a balanced bite of filling and biscuit. I’ve done my research…
I also find that my recipe usually makes just a little more than easily fits in two of my serving dishes, so I’m happy to tell you that the filling is also very nice over toast (or one of the other biscuits in the tube) as a sort of chicken a la king. Or you could serve it over rice. It’s lovely that way as well. The filling freezes well, so you could certainly freeze any leftover for another meal some other day.
Here’s my recipe…enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie
Click here for printable PDF of recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 Pre-made piecrusts*
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk or cream
4 Tbsp butter
8 sliced mushrooms
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stalk
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
1 cup diced cooked chicken
Salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat over to 400°. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until the mushrooms give up their liquid. Add the carrot and celery and cook for another couple minutes. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables. Cook for about a minute. Add the chicken broth and milk (or cream) and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and cook until thickened to desired consistency, stirring intermittently. Don't forget to season to taste with salt and pepper (and a dash of cayenne and nutmeg, if you're feeling adventurous) while the mixture is simmering.
Butter or spray two cooking dishes (individual serving size). Roll out pie crust (if necessary) and place baking dish upside down on the crust. Trace around the dish with a knife, leaving as much border as desired. Set the pie crust lids aside.
When chicken mixture has thickened sufficiently, divide it between the two prepared baking dishes. Top with the pie crust and slash a few vents in the crust. Place the baking dishes on a rimmed baking sheet (in case of boil-over!) and cook in the oven until crust is done (15-20 minutes, usually). Serve immediately.
*or 1 piece of puff pastry, rolled out
Notes:
Variations include:
Chicken and Dumplings: instead of pie crust, top with one pre-made uncooked biscuit, cut into pieces.
Chicken A La King: serve the filling over toast
Chicken and Rice: serve the filling over rice
