chicken pot pies

Lets try something a little more fun than Listeria.....

It's turning cold around here which makes me want to bake. I LOVE pot pies. The problem is that the pies you get at the store in the freezer section are really bad and really bad for you! READ the ingredients! I have a great recipe for chicken pot pies. It's a great way to use leftovers, but don't wait until you have leftovers, use 1-2 frozen chicken breasts! Poach them or bake them and use that.
Here it is:

For the crust (makes a lot of crust - cut it down for only 2 or make more and freeze them for later):
2 cups all-purpose flour
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
Scant ½ teaspoon sugar
1 egg 

For the filling:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup frozen baby green peas
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2½ cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups leftover roast chicken, cut into ½-inch chunks.

1. To make the crust, combine flour, butter, shortening, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse together just until the mixture is crumbly and butter is broken into small pieces. Pour 1/3 cup ice water into the machine, and pulse 3 or 4 times. Squeeze a little dough in your hand to see whether it clumps together and is evenly moist. If not, add another tablespoon of water, and pulse 1 or 2 times more. Don't over mix so that the dough forms a ball.

2. Turn out dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Lift ends of plastic to gather dough together inside. Press into a large disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.

3. To make the filling, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, leeks and tarragon, and cook, stirring, just until slightly softened but not browned (reduce the heat if necessary to prevent browning), about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl, wipe out the skillet, and place it back on the stove.

4. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking, until the mixture bubbles and smells cooked. Do not let it brown. Whisk in 2 cups broth, and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in cream, and cook 2 or 3 minutes, just until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in remaining broth.

5. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add cooked vegetables and peas, chicken and sauce to 8-ounce deep pie dish or other baking dish, mix gently, and taste for seasoning.

(Note - this is a single crust pie. For a 2 crist pie, line the pie plate with a rolled out crust. Pre-bake the pie in the oven until nearly done. NOW add your filling. Pre-baking keeps the crust from getting too soggy.)

6. Flour a work surface. Remove dough from refrigerator, and cut in half. (Set aside half for another recipe.) Roll out remaining dough, turning and flouring often, and cut a shape approximately the size of your baking dish plus 1½ inches overlap all around.

7. Whisk egg in a small bowl. Brush onto rim of dish. Roll dough up onto the rolling pin, and unroll over dish, so it rests evenly on top of filling. Press overlap onto the rim and against the outside of the dish, sealing tightly. Poke tip of knife through crust to create 3 vent holes near the center. Place on cookie sheet, and place in oven.

8. Bake 20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling through vents. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. 

It's also possible to use individual ramekins for individual pies. These will freeze nicely after you assemble them. Take them out of the freezer and put in the 375 degree oven. Give them about an hour to bake.

Yield: 8 servings.

 Who needs those nasty pies from the freezer section of the store???? These are MUCH better!