[1791] Chicken and Leek and Vegetable Pot Pie
So Fi and I--but mostly I--just invented a really good chicken pot pie variant, and I want to write it down now before I forget. No pictures 'cause they turned out horrible.
Ingredients
Filling
1 lb chicken (we used thigh meat)
1 largeish red potato, diced
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1-2 medium carrots, diced
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
1 cup brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 stick butter, divided
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 - 1 1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper
bay leaves or italian seasoning
Biscuit Dough
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Prepare vegetables, making sure to wash the leek thoroughly to remove any sand or grit. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and poach chicken with bay leaves or italian seasoning until thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) in a large pot or dutch oven and add leeks and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes and then add celery and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft and tender, about another 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat. When chicken is fully cooked, roughly chop and add to vegetable mixture. Toss potatoes in now or later.
In a wide saute pan or dutch oven, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter. Whisk in flour and bring to bubble; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, half & half and milk and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste--about 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 tsp salt maybe? Pour sauce into chicken and vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly. (We also added a bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese here.)
For biscuit crust, mix dry ingredients together, then cut in Crisco and butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add milk to form a rough dough.
Pour filling into 9x13 casserole dish and top with pie crust or with torn biscuit dough, spread fairly thin. Bake for 30 minutes at 375, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let sit at least 10 minutes for sauce to thicken, then serve.
NOTE: This produces a fairly saucy pot pie. It may thicken after refrigeration; I enjoyed pouring the sauce over the top of the biscuit dough. On further experimentation I might add more flour or less liquid to the sauce but we don't repeat recipes often so that that probably won't be for a while. (EDIT: Sauce did thicken perfectly after standing further on the counter.)
You could also totally leave the chicken out, maybe increase the mushrooms and potatoes a bit, and this would be an excellent vegetarian pot pie.
Ingredients
Filling
1 lb chicken (we used thigh meat)
1 largeish red potato, diced
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1-2 medium carrots, diced
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
1 cup brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 stick butter, divided
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 - 1 1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper
bay leaves or italian seasoning
Biscuit Dough
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Prepare vegetables, making sure to wash the leek thoroughly to remove any sand or grit. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and poach chicken with bay leaves or italian seasoning until thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) in a large pot or dutch oven and add leeks and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes and then add celery and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft and tender, about another 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat. When chicken is fully cooked, roughly chop and add to vegetable mixture. Toss potatoes in now or later.
In a wide saute pan or dutch oven, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter. Whisk in flour and bring to bubble; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, half & half and milk and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste--about 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 tsp salt maybe? Pour sauce into chicken and vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly. (We also added a bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese here.)
For biscuit crust, mix dry ingredients together, then cut in Crisco and butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add milk to form a rough dough.
Pour filling into 9x13 casserole dish and top with pie crust or with torn biscuit dough, spread fairly thin. Bake for 30 minutes at 375, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let sit at least 10 minutes for sauce to thicken, then serve.
NOTE: This produces a fairly saucy pot pie. It may thicken after refrigeration; I enjoyed pouring the sauce over the top of the biscuit dough. On further experimentation I might add more flour or less liquid to the sauce but we don't repeat recipes often so that that probably won't be for a while. (EDIT: Sauce did thicken perfectly after standing further on the counter.)
You could also totally leave the chicken out, maybe increase the mushrooms and potatoes a bit, and this would be an excellent vegetarian pot pie.