I woke up extra early on Sunday morning to do some cooking. At 10 AM, you would assume I’d be up making a dish for brunch or perhaps baking muffins, but instead I was prepping and roasting a whole chicken. It was a component for that evening’s dinner, the ultimate comfort food: chicken pot pie. The combination of flaky pastry, seasoned gravy, and vegetables that appeared on plates throughout my childhood make it an ideal winter Sunday meal.
The whole chicken provided not only the meat for the pie, it also provided the chicken broth after a few hours of simmering the carcass on the stove with vegetables and seasonings. The best part was that the three pound free-range organic chicken cost only ten dollars and some change at the store the previous day, which is a bargain in Brooklyn.
A guide to making chicken broth and the pie are after the jump.
Chicken Broth
-1 chicken carcass, cooked meat removed
-2 carrots, roughly chopped
-2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
-1 small yellow onion, cut into large chunks
-2 bay leaves
-any additional seasonings of your choice
-salt and pepper to taste
1) Place vegetables and chicken in a large pot and fill with water until it covers the chicken completely.
2) Add seasonings, stir, and turn on heat. Simmer for 4-5 hours, occasionally removing any foam or large amounts of fat that rise to the surface.
3) Remove pot from heat and remove the bones, then strain the remaining stock. Discard the vegetables and bay leaves.
4) Set aside 2 1/2 cups for the chicken pot pie and then refrigerate or freeze the rest for future use.
Chicken Pot Pie
Crust
-I used Mark Bittman’s tart crust recipe and didn’t add sugar. I also added a a few teaspoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary and marjoram.
Filling
Mo Note: The key to making sure all of your filling components are evenly cooked is cutting them all to about equal sizes. I kept everything about 3/4″ thick.
-3 tbs. unsalted butter
-2 1/2 cups chicken broth
-2/3 cups flour
-2 large carrots, chopped
-2 large celery stalks, chopped
-1 potato, cubed
-1/4 cup frozen peas
-1 small yellow onion, diced
-2 1/4 cups cooked chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
-1/8 cup chopped parsley
-2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped, or 1 tsp. dried
-2 tsp. fresh marjoram, finely chopped, or 1 tsp. dried
-Salt and pepper to taste
1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions, stirring often until they become translucent.
2) Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, or until it is fully incorporated and starts to thicken.
3) Add rosemary, marjoram, and dashes of salt and pepper.
4) Add cubed potato and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot and then add celery 2 minutes later. Pre-heat your over to 375º at this stage.
5) Once vegetables are tender, add parsley, peas, and chicken. Season to taste and remove from heat. Let cool for a few minutes and then pour into your pie plate.
6) Roll out your crust and then place on top of the filling, cutting a few vents to allow moisture to escape.
7) Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown.
I would like to say, nice webpage. Im unsure if it has been talked about, however when using Chrome I can never get the entire blog to load without refreshing several times. Could just be my laptop. Thanks