Chicken Pot Pie

 
Pot Pie-3.jpg

Crust

  • 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour, Plus More For Dusting

  • 1 Tablespoon White Sugar

  • 1 1/4 Teaspoons Kosher Salt

  • 8 Ounces Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Cubes

  • 1/2 Cup Very Cold Water

  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Serves: 4 to 6

Filling

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

  • 2 lbs Chicken, Preferably Thighs

  • Kosher Salt

  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper

  • 4 Carrots, Diced

  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced

  • 1 Large Celery Stalk, Diced

  • 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

  • 1 Cup Peas

  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme, Chopped

  • 1 3/4 cups Chicken Stock

  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream

  • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

  • 1 Large Egg

Preparing The Meal

To make the dough, start by whisking the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Next, add the butter to the flour mixture. Toss the butter cubes in the flour, making sure to separate any cubes that may be stuck together with your fingers. Then begin pinching each butter cube flat with your fingers. You want each piece to be about about 1/4” thick. The goal is to create individual flat pieces of butter, so be careful not to work the butter into the flour. Then, stir in the cold water with a rubber spatula. Then knead the dough until the it forms a ball. Place the dough ball on a heavily floured work surface, and sprinkle more flour on top. Next, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 10 x 15 inches. Then, slide a spatula under the dough to loosen it from the counter. Next, fold the two 10” sides toward the middle so the edges meet, and then fold again to close the dough like a book. Divide the dough into 2 to 8 discs (depending on how many pot pies you plan to cook) and wrap in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for an hour.

While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 450℉. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and add to the skillet. Cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160℉, flipping as needed until evenly browned. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Once the chicken has cooled, cut into bite sized pieces.

While the chicken cools, add the carrots, onion and celery to the skillet and sauté until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, add the garlic and peas continuing to cook for about 1 minute more. Stir in the garlic powder, nutmeg, thyme and chicken stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Next, whisk the cornstarch and cream together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and cream mixture to the skillet and turn the heat to low. Cook until thickened, then add the chicken and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool slightly.

When ready to assemble the pot pie roll a disc of dough out to a size that will fit the pan and come up the sides. Then roll the other disc out to the same thickness. In a lightly greased large cast iron pan, or several smaller cast iron pans, press the first disc of the pie crust into the bottom, and bring the edges up the sides of the pan. Fill the crust with the cooled filling. Top the filling with the second pie crust and press down along the edges to seal with the bottom crust. In a small bowl beat together the egg and a tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the crust with the egg mixture. Using a fork, poke several sets of holes in the middle of the crust and transfer to the oven. Bake the pot pie for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

To serve, either cut the pot pie into portions, or serve directly in the smaller cast iron pans. Serve immediately.

 
Ty KeplerComment