Chicken Pot Pie

Savory fall harvest meal

My memories of chicken pot pies are of frozen, single serving meals that my brother and I would heat up when mom was out or didn’t feel like cooking. They definitely had the look and feel of factory food, but we heated them up until the gravy began oozing out of the holes we had poked in the crust, and they sure hit the spot. As a kid, I loved the idea of a savory pie, of buttery crust, of meat and gravy, and it was by far the most painless way to eat my daily dose of veggies. Today, my kids feel the same way. Savory pot pies are their favorite meal from the school cafeteria. Though there are so many ways that food can go wrong in the hands of establishments, the lunch ladies have somehow made pot-pie connoisseurs out of my children. I guess it’s a dish that’s hard to do badly.

But oh, it can be done so much better at home with fresh, seasonal ingredients and a quality meat. Make gravy with homemade broth and surround it with your favorite crust, and you have comfort food that is not just worth the effort, but is simply sublime. Served on a chilly fall evening, you’ll definitely get the kids to eat their veggies, and they might even offer you the ultimate praise, “This is even better than how they make it at school.”

Ingredients:

· 1 large potato, peeled and halved* (gold or russet)

· 4 large carrots, peeled

· 10 cloves of garlic

· 2 T. olive oil

· 1 whole chicken

· 1 bay leaf

· ¼ c. butter

· 1 medium onion, diced

· 1/3 c. flour

· 2 c. chicken broth (which will be made from the chicken)

· ¾ c. milk

· 2 T. fresh thyme, chopped fine

· 1 T. fresh sage, chopped fine

· Salt

· Pepper

· 2/3 c. fresh or frozen peas

· Crust for a double crust pie

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Place the potatoes, carrots, and garlic in a large roasting pan. Add olive oil and ¼ c. water. Cover and roast at 450°F until soft, about 45 min.

3. Section the chicken by separating the legs, the thighs, the wings, and then cut the back from the ribs. Place the chicken pieces (skin and all) and the bay leaf in a large stock pot and cover with water.

4. Bring the chicken to a boil, cover and then gently simmer for 30-40 min, until the chicken is cooked through.

5. While the vegetables are roasting and the chicken is cooking, prepare the crust using your favorite recipe. If your recipe suggests using shortening, substitute half with butter. You might also like the result if you substitute whole wheat flour for ¼ of the white flour. Heed their instructions about using cold ingredients and not over-working the dough.

6. When the chicken is just cooked through, remove it from broth and place on a cutting board to cool. Remove the meat from the bone and return the bones back into the simmering broth. Discard the skin and cut the chicken meat into ½ inch cubes, careful to remove any gristle.

7. Cut the roasted potatoes and carrots into ½ inch cubes and set aside with 3 c. cubed chicken. Mince (or more like mash) the roasted garlic and add it to chicken and veggies.

8. In another large stock pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions over low heat until tender but not browned.

9. Remove 2 c.chicken broth and strain it to a bowl. Add ¾ c. milk to the bowl with the broth.

10. Add the flour to the onions and butter and stir to form a roux. Add the broth and milk all at once and whisk briskly. Increase the heat, stirring the mixture frequently, until it becomes thick and bubbly gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

11. Add the herbs, chicken, diced veggies and peas. Stir and heat until the mixture returns to simmer.

12. Meanwhile, roll out ½ of the dough and form it into a large pie pan, allowing the excess dough to fold over the edges of the pan. Add the filling (the chicken and veggies in gravy), almost to the level of the top of the pan.

13. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the filling. Press the top and bottom crusts together, removing any excess dough, and flute the edges. Poke holes in the dough to vent the steam.

14. Place the pie in the oven and cook at 450°F until the top crust is golden brown, 15 – 20 min. Cool for 5 – 10 min and serve.

Chef’s tip – there will probably be leftovers. You can use leftover chicken to make chicken salad sandwiches. Any remaining pie filling can be combined with the remaining broth to make a hearty chicken soup – just season with more sage, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

*Try substituting parsnips for potatoes. In fact, many combinations of veggies work great in chicken pot pie so substitute liberally. You can even sauté 1 c. halved mushrooms with your onions (just add a bit more butter).