Chick-a Chick-a Boom Boom Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie goodness from my freezer!

While working on filling up that freezer, I turned out two deep dish chicken pot pies.  Chicken pot pies are the ultimate comfort food.  Since having enough leftover chicken to make a chicken pot pie in the Little Kitchen never happens, I buy the already cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to make this dish.  I am sometimes leery of buying these chickens as they can be dried out.  I am the one digging through the cooked chickens looking for one with the meat that hasn't shrunk too far away from the bone.  They are helpful in a pinch and are great for chicken pot pies.  (As a sidebar, the carcass itself will yield a nice chicken stock as well).

With some left over mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli....mmm boy, dinner!

This is another one of those dishes that I really don't follow a recipe for...either I have made it that much or it is one of those things that I am just comfortable making.  I will do my best to describe the process.

First you need to decide on the crust.  I have used, and really like the one that Chef Dennis posted for his pot pies.  I also like the one Lefty posted on Oil and Butter....decisions, decisions....Sorry Lefty, today I went with Chef Dennis' Pastry...next time I am using your recipe!

Pastry

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 3/4 cup butter cut into 1/2  inch pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup ice water

Get your food processor out of the cupboard and place a cup of water in the freezer to chill.


Set up your food pro on the counter with the blade nicely in there.

Put 2 cups of flour in the processor and the salt...pulse to mix.

Add in the 3/4 cup of cubed, cold butter to the flour.  Pulse a few times to get the mixture all crumbly.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, pulse twice after each addition.

Remove the water from your freezer and add 1/4 cup of it to the food pro and pulse 3 times.

Dump this crumbly mixture into a bowl or onto the counter.  Squeeze the crumbly goodness so it holds together and press into 2 discs of dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour.  I have made this a day ahead of time before and it always turns out great.

While the dough is chillin' in the fridge, get the filling cooked up!  The filling can be adapted to suit your tastes and what you have on hand.  This is what went into today's pot pies.

• 1/2 large onion chopped
• a couple of carrots, Peel and sliced (today I used mini carrots)
• 2 ribs of celery, diced (use the leafy parts too)
• 1 large potato scrubbed and diced
• a handful of mushrooms sliced (today I used cremini)
• a handful of frozen peas
• a handful of frozen corn
• 1/4 cup butter (or canola oil)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off the bones and chopped (all of the meat)

Heat the pot on medium and add the butter or oil (or a bit of both).

Saute the onions with some salt and pepper until tender.

Add the celery, carrots, mushrooms, and potato to the onions and let it cooks for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then to keep things from sticking.  (oh and add the bay leaf and some salt and pepper as well)
Stir in the flour to coat the veggies and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the stock and stir continuously to get the flour incorporated.  The stock will thicken as it heats.
Stir in the chopped chicken, the peas, and the corn.  Go hunting and take out that bay leaf!

You are going to want to let the pot pie filling cool before you dish it up and add the pastry topping.  (It is just better for the crust that way.)

Once cooled, spray a couple of casserole dishes with non stick spray and divide the filling evenly between them. (This is a matter of preference, if you prefer a more shallow dish, then use it as it will make more pies.  You will have enough dough with this recipe to cover more pies.  We just happen to prefer a deeper dish pot pie)

Two dishes, sprayed with non stick spray

Rolling, rolling, rolling.....

Yup, looks good.

Roll out the dough so it will fit over the entire casserole dish.  I like to measure it out by placing the dish over the dough to make sure it is rolled out enough.

Cut off the excess dough

Voila!

You can go ahead and bake these right away in a 350F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  (Brush the pastry with egg white first)

Remember a couple of slits to vent the steam!

If you are planning on freezing the pot pies for later use, pop them into a zip top freezer bag (or wrap really well with plastic wrap and foil).  Place in the freezer, flat and keep in the freezer until ready to use.

With my busy week which included my return to work and the making of a monster truck cake for my nephew, this was a great week to have a chicken pot pie in the freezer!

To bake from frozen:

Remove all forms of wrapping from the pot pie and place the dish on a baking sheet (protect that oven).

 Test the heat of the centre of the pie by inserting a knife for 10 seconds. Remove the knife and touch the blade...if the blade is hot, it is done, if the blade is cold, put it back in the oven!