Thursday, March 1, 2012

Susan's Chicken Pot Pie



Last fall I made a trip to Oklahoma for the 40th Anniversary of University of Oklahoma College of Nursing Class of 1971.  I had an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING time from start to finish.  On my way to Oklahoma I stopped off for a night in St. Louis with a college roommate who then went on to the reunion with me.  For dinner she served her very own Chicken Pot Pie.  IT WAS WONDERFUL!  I first went back for seconds- and savored that- and then as if I was never to eat again I went back for thirds and finished that as well.  I loved it.  Fortunately for me Susan had made a large Chicken Pot Pie.... Unfortunately for Paul, Susan's very gracious husband who was supposed to be eating this Chicken Pot Pie during Susan's trip to the reunion, I didn't leave much behind! I begged for the recipe- and Susan being just as gracious as her husband sent the recipe to me after I returned home to Cincinnati. I found the "secret" ingredient to this Pot Pie that makes all Pot Pies pale in comparison- FENNEL.  You got it right- FENNEL.


While Susan gives credit to the Barefoot Contessa for  the origin of the recipe, when I searched through several varieties of Pot Pie that the famed Contessa has posted (or others have posted in her name) only the vegetarian one included fennel.  So this pie belongs to Susan! 




Now I can't swear that my Chicken Pot Pie was as good as the one so beautifully prepared by Susan, but I can swear this is the best Chicken Pot Pie I have ever made!


So let's get started by gathering the ingredients and start cooking!




Susan's Chicken Pot Pie:


Ingredients:


Chicken for Roasting: 2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 legs- Bone in/Skin on (You may substitute a "store bought" rotisserie chicken if you wish to save time.)


1 large Onion, diced
2 stalks of Celery, diced
1 Fennel bulb, diced
6 cloves of Garlic, diced or crushed
3-4 cups of Mushrooms, sliced (Increase to 6 cups if making a Vegetarian Pot Pie.)
4 Carrots, diced
1 cup Peas, frozen


1 1/2 sticks of Butter
2 1/2 cups of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup of Flour
1/4-1/2 cup of Half and Half (You may substitute milk or cream for this.)


2 tsp of fresh Thyme
2 tbsp of fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste


Pastry (from Barefoot Contessa)
3 cups of Flour
1 1/2 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1/2 cup of Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening
1/4 cup of Butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup of Ice Water
Whipped Egg White for Egg Wash
(You may substitute "store bought" pastry crust- in refrigerator case- or puff pastry- in freezer case- if you'd like.)


Directions:


Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.  Toss chicken pieces with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Roast for an hour or until done. Cool chicken until able to remove skin and bone and then shred into small pieces.




Prepare crust:
Place flour, salt and baking powder in food processor.  Cut shortening and butter into small pieces.  Add to flour mixture and with fingers mix until all shortening and butter pieces are coated in flour.  "Pulse" food processor until shortening/butter pieces are the size of small peas.  Slowly add ice water until dough clings together well enough to roll out the crust.  Remove the crust from the food processor and form into small dome.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for AT LEAST 30 minutes.  


Preheat the oven now to 400 degrees.


Mix the flour and the broth in a blender until well blended- set aside.
Melt butter in large skillet.  Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots and fennel.  Cook until onion is translucent and carrots are softened.  Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Pour in flour/broth mixture and stir constantly to thicken.  Add peas and chicken. Add Half and Half (or milk or cream) Season with thyme, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.


Place mixture from skillet in 2 quart casserole pan. (Because I was just cooking for Don and me I used two small "pot pie" size baking dishes and only about half of the contents- and am saving the rest in the freezer for another time.)


Brush the top 1/2 inch rim of the outside of the casserole with egg wash (this is an egg white that has been "whisked" with a tbsp of water) so the crust will not "stick" to the dish.  Place the crust on top with about 1/2 inch draping the sides of the dish.  Brush the crust with the egg wash (this makes the crust "shiny"). 


Bake for about an hour- until the crust is browned an flaky!




Serve with a tossed side salad if desired- though it certainly can "stand alone"!




ENJOY!



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