The Recipe Revealed
I'm not just getting comments to post the god-awful filling chicken-pot-pie recipe, people have needled me about it in person. Embracing my inner hermit, I want people off the guru's mountain, so I'm giving the recipe out.
Step #1- Pie crust (If you want to substitute and just use Pillsbury pie crust, it works. If not, this is a good one)
*Makes one 9 inch deep-dish piecrust, double for 6 pot pies
1-1/2 cups bleached all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 Tablespoons Cold Solid Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
3-1/2 to 4-1/2 Tablespoons Ice Water
Put the flour, and kosher salt into a bowl and mix. Scatter the butter over this flour mixture and using a spoon, toss lightly to coat. Add the shortening next in small pieces and continue mixing.
The texture at this point should resemble course meal, with the butter and shortening bits no larger than peas. Begin sprinkling in the water, and continue mixing. If the 3-1/2 tablespoons of water isn't enough, add as much as another tablespoon until the proper dough consistency is achieved. The easy way to tell is pinch the dough, and if it holds together when pinched, it's ready.
Press on the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, forming the dough into 5 inch disks. Wrap the disk in the plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. The dough can be kep refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to two months.
When ready to use the dough, let it soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes (longer if frozen), and tap it with the rolling pin to begin flattening it out. Place the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and roll out the dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.
Lie the ramikin you will be using to bake your pot pies on top of the flattened dough, and use it as a template for the size of the bottom crust, adding 1/2 to 1 inch of diameter for the bottom, as the ramikin or pie-tin is concave. Repeat for a top crust, but only make the width 1/2 inch greater than the diameter.
After adding the pot-pie filling, tuck the overhang under itself so the folded under itself so the folded edge is about 1/4 inch out over the overhang of the ramikin. Crimp decoratively, and remember to put four to six slits in the top crust with a knife to allow hot air to escape while cooking.
Alright, now for the chicken-pot-pie filling...
* Makes 4-6 pot pies
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Medium Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chicken stock or low sodium canned chicken broth
1 Jar (16 oz.) of Alfredo Sauce
3 cups shredded roast chicken (remove from a grocery store rotisserie chicken)
1 package (10 oz.) of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 Egg, Lightly Beaten
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and season lightly with kosher salt and pepper to your own preferred taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until it has evaporated, but the onion is still moist, about another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and stir until well incorporated, and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce the heat to low/warm, add in the Alfredo Sauce, peas and carrots, and shredded chicken. Adjust your seasonings with more salt or pepper if necessary.
Using the pie crusts already prepared, add the filling into the bottom crusts that are placed in ramikins, and once filled, add the top crust, and seal. Place all the ramkins onto the baking sheet and brush the pies with the beaten egg before loading them into the oven.
Bake for 35-45 minutes at the pre-set 425 degrees F, and when the crust is golden, remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. (Note: The pies can be assembled 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated. If you only bake 2 at a time, the others can be covered with foil and frozen. To cook a frozen pie, bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes with the foil on, then remove, brush with a beaten egg, and then bake an additional 30 minutes until the crust is golden and let cool 15 minutes).
Step #1- Pie crust (If you want to substitute and just use Pillsbury pie crust, it works. If not, this is a good one)
*Makes one 9 inch deep-dish piecrust, double for 6 pot pies
1-1/2 cups bleached all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 Tablespoons Cold Solid Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
3-1/2 to 4-1/2 Tablespoons Ice Water
Put the flour, and kosher salt into a bowl and mix. Scatter the butter over this flour mixture and using a spoon, toss lightly to coat. Add the shortening next in small pieces and continue mixing.
The texture at this point should resemble course meal, with the butter and shortening bits no larger than peas. Begin sprinkling in the water, and continue mixing. If the 3-1/2 tablespoons of water isn't enough, add as much as another tablespoon until the proper dough consistency is achieved. The easy way to tell is pinch the dough, and if it holds together when pinched, it's ready.
Press on the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, forming the dough into 5 inch disks. Wrap the disk in the plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. The dough can be kep refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to two months.
When ready to use the dough, let it soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes (longer if frozen), and tap it with the rolling pin to begin flattening it out. Place the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and roll out the dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.
Lie the ramikin you will be using to bake your pot pies on top of the flattened dough, and use it as a template for the size of the bottom crust, adding 1/2 to 1 inch of diameter for the bottom, as the ramikin or pie-tin is concave. Repeat for a top crust, but only make the width 1/2 inch greater than the diameter.
After adding the pot-pie filling, tuck the overhang under itself so the folded under itself so the folded edge is about 1/4 inch out over the overhang of the ramikin. Crimp decoratively, and remember to put four to six slits in the top crust with a knife to allow hot air to escape while cooking.
Alright, now for the chicken-pot-pie filling...
* Makes 4-6 pot pies
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Medium Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chicken stock or low sodium canned chicken broth
1 Jar (16 oz.) of Alfredo Sauce
3 cups shredded roast chicken (remove from a grocery store rotisserie chicken)
1 package (10 oz.) of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 Egg, Lightly Beaten
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and season lightly with kosher salt and pepper to your own preferred taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until it has evaporated, but the onion is still moist, about another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and stir until well incorporated, and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce the heat to low/warm, add in the Alfredo Sauce, peas and carrots, and shredded chicken. Adjust your seasonings with more salt or pepper if necessary.
Using the pie crusts already prepared, add the filling into the bottom crusts that are placed in ramikins, and once filled, add the top crust, and seal. Place all the ramkins onto the baking sheet and brush the pies with the beaten egg before loading them into the oven.
Bake for 35-45 minutes at the pre-set 425 degrees F, and when the crust is golden, remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. (Note: The pies can be assembled 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated. If you only bake 2 at a time, the others can be covered with foil and frozen. To cook a frozen pie, bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes with the foil on, then remove, brush with a beaten egg, and then bake an additional 30 minutes until the crust is golden and let cool 15 minutes).