Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Crust

1/2 cup sour cream, chilled

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots (2/3 cup), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 celery ribs (1/2 cup), cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 small russet potato (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (1 cup)

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 rotisserie chicken (2 1/2 pounds), without skin and bones, shredded into bite-size pieces (3 cups)

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 large egg, lightly beaten

This pie is a process with a good bit of downtime, so I made sure I had plenty of time.  I started by making the crust.  I whisked the sour cream and the beaten egg together in a small bowl.  Next, I combined the flour and salt in the food processor, running it for about three seconds.  I added the butter and pulsed it ten times until the pieces were pea-size.  I poured in half of the sour cream mixture and pulsed it five times until it was combined.  I put in the rest of the sour cream mixture and pulsed it another ten times until it started to form a dough.

I turned the dough mixture onto a lightly floured pastry mat.  As a kid, we had a Tupperware pastry mat.  Imagine my joy at discovering the same mat in a box of odds and ends Chris’s Oma gave us.  That box was full of kitchen jewels!  If you don’t have a pastry mat, you can use the kitchen counter to do the job, but the pastry mat makes cleaning up so much easier.  I also like that it has various dough dimensions printed on it as well as recipes.

I kneaded the mixture until the dough came together; this only took a few minutes.  I then divided the dough in half, forming each into a four-inch disk.  I wrapped each tightly in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for an hour.  I worked on my mise en place for the filling while the dough chilled.

After an hour, I rested the dough for about 10 minutes to soften before rolling it.  I rolled the dough on the floured pastry mat until I had a 12-inch circle.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process.  I used almost no pressure, allowing the rolling pin to do all the work, and ended up with an evenly rolled, beautiful pie crust.  I gently wrapped it onto the rolling pin and moved it to a 9-inch pie plate.  I eased the dough into the pie plate, gently lifting the edge with one hand while pressing the crust into the bottom of the pan with the other.

I rolled out the second disk the same way and moved it to a parchment paper-lined sheet tray.  I covered both with plastic and put them back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.  While the dough was chilling, I worked on the filling.

I moved the oven rack to the lowest position and set the temperature to 450-degrees.  In a large saucepan, I melted the butter over medium heat.  I added the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cooked them for about six minutes until the vegetables started to soften.  I added the flour and cooked it for a minute or so, constantly stirring, until it was golden.  I slowly stirred in the stock and cream, cooking it over medium-high heat until it came to a boil.

I stirred in the potatoes and thyme, turning the heat back down to medium, and simmered it until the sauce thickened and the potato was tender.  After eight minutes, I pulled the pan off of the heat and added the chicken and the peas, tasting to make sure the seasoning was right.

I spooned the mixture into my pie shell.  Again, gently rolling it onto the rolling pin, I moved the top crust to the filled pie.  I trimmed it to 1/2-inch past the lip of the pie plate and then pinched the edges of the top and bottom crusts together, tucking the overhang under so that the folded edge was flush with the rim of the pie plate.  With my fingers, I crimped the dough around the edge of the pie plate and then cut four two-inch slits in the top of the pie crust.

I brushed the top of the pie with the beaten egg, put it on a rimmed baking sheet, and baked it for 18 minutes until the top was golden brown.  I turned the oven down to 375-degrees, rotated the sheet tray, and continued baking the pie for another 15 minutes until it was deep golden brown.  I let the pot pie cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes before serving it.  The filling will thicken as it rests.

Overall it was a good chicken pot pie.  I will experiment with some tweaks to the recipe that I think will make it even better.  While a rotisserie chicken is convenient and a time-saver, I think I can get a lot more flavor out of a chicken that I roast myself.  Obviously, that would add a time-consuming step, but I believe, with proper planning, it will be worth the extra time to amp up the flavor.  With just a few more minutes in the oven, I think the crust would be absolutely perfect.

This pie makes eight servings, 607 calories per serving, with 37 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 31 grams of fat.  We ate pot pie for dinner and lunch the next day, then froze the rest (individually portioned) for later.