Should I make some Chicken Pot Pie?

Well what's your question?  Should you or should you not make chicken pot pie?  Do you need a recipe for apple pie and do we philosophically think it's appropriate to serve pie for both dinner and dessert?  Or do you want to know how to make ice cream?  I'm confused.

Alex,

Are you looking for a simple chicken pie or are you looking for the kind that is done in pastry.  I do a simple chicken pie with mashed potatoes or biscuits, sort of like cottage pie but with chicken if you are interested.  It is more of a process than a recipe since it is intended to use left overs and whatever you have in the fridge or pantry.  Also I am not sure what sure what level of detail you want so I will keep this simple but I can give you more a more detailed explanation if you have questions.

Start with about two pounds of cooked chicken cut up into bite sized pieces.  If you don't have cooked chicken already get some pieces, I like boneless chicken thighs, and poach them.  You will need about two and a half or three pounds raw.  Keep the poaching liquid to make a white sauce.

Saute some onion, carrot and celery until tender. Add this to the chicken.

Make a white sauce with chicken stock or your poaching liquid and maybe some milk.  Add the chicken and vegetables and stir in.  Season to taste.  You will want salt and pepper at the very least. I like to add some thyme maybe some sage, poultry seasoning and celery seed. Start light and taste as you go.  If you have any left over cooked vegetables you can add them in at this point.  I like peas and corn, about a cup each.  Frozen is also fine don't worry about cooking them.

Spread this in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan then cover with mashed potatoes or biscuits.  If mashed potatoes you can then sprinkle with grated cheese.

Put it in a moderate oven, about 350F, for 30 to 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling.  If you are doing the biscuit topping check early that they aren't browning to fast.  If they aren't brown near the end turn up the heat, if they brown to early turn down the heat or cover with foil.

This also works well with fish.

Chicken pot pie

my favorite

Is a rough recipe ok for you?

you need to get some chicken (can be whole or just thighs - dark meat is better than white).

Put it in cold water to cover generously, with salt, pepper, a celery stalk, a carrot and an onion.  A bay leaf would be good.  Cook over low heat for a couple of hours to cook the chicken and make some broth,

Put about 3 tbsp of butter in a pot, and melt it, then add about 3 tbsp flour, cook slowly for a few minutes, stirring and then pour in all at once, off the fire, about two cups of the broth. 

Let it cook over low heat, stirring with whisk until it thickens, about five minutes. 

if you have some mushrooms, slice and fry gently in butter

Cut up a couple of celery stalks and gently sautee till almost tender. 

Cut up the chicken in largish pieces, taking out the bones. 

put it all in the pot with the sauce, and then add a cup or so of frozen peas. 

put into a deep glass or ceramic oven dish

Make biscuits (american biscuits, that are similar to your scones)

2 cups flour

t 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup (50 grams) butter or half butter half lard (cold from fridge)

3/4 cup buttermilk or milk

optional - 1 tbsp sugar (i like the slight sweetness with the salty pie)

mix the dry ingredients.  add the butter (or butter and lard) cut into pieces, and mix with your mixer till it's all crumbs - don't overmix.  or you can rub it together but don't let it melt. 

add the liquid all at once, gather into a ball, if it won't hold together, toss with a tsp more milk, then knead only three or four turns. 

flatten with your hands till about 1/2 inch thick and lift and put on top of the filling

(no bottom crust)

bake at about 450F (hot oven) for about fifteen minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the biscuit comes out dry and it's turned a light tan color

you can paint the top of the crust with milk to help it color

Ice cream without an ice cream maker

Put 1/3 cup sugar and 1 cup water into a small saucepan with cover.  Boil and swirl (don;t use a spoon) till all dissolved.  Lower heat and cover tightly.  The steam will wash down the sides so there are no grains of sugar left, or the resulting cream will be grainy

Meanwhile beat three egg whites till stiff

Go back to the syrup and uncover and raise heat.  Get a cup of ice water ready.  When you see the bubbles begin to thicken drop a drop of syrup into the cold water.  at first it will dissolve into it, then leave a very flat mark at the bottom, then  will eventually make a small slightly thick mass that you can pick up from the cold water with your fingers.  Stop cooking.  Go back to the whites, and start beating hard, and slowly pour the boiling syrup in a thin stream into them. 

Keep beating till room temp (if you can wrap a cold cloth around the bowl or if you use a hand beater, put the bowl into a bigger bowl of ice water. 

Beat one cup heavy cream till it's whipped to make soft peaks, and fold into the meringue.  Mix in a tsp vanilla

Put directly into thye freezer and it will remain soft, but firm, and will not make crystals, it will be smooth and creamy

for chocolate, add 200 gms dark 70% chocolate, melted, into the meringue, and let cool before adding the cream

you can;t do fruit ice cream this way. 

(recipe from julia child)

Allan,

Its so nice that you are baking. Once you decide on your filling....

There is another type of dough you can use which I enjoy making for chicken pot pie and its with sour cream. The pastry is light and golden.

200 gr. Unsalted butter (cold and cut into pieces)

250 gr. White flour

125 ml. Sour cream

Place butter and flour in a food processor, mix till it looks like bread crumbs. Then add sour cream and continue to mix until the mixture comes together. Cut in half and gently shape into 2 discs. Try not to over knead. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

just a thought.

Zoui, if you haven't picked up on this yet, chicken pot pie is a process, rather than a precise recipe. As a rule, it only has a top paste. But within that framwork you can use any pastry you prefer. Fillings run the gamut, with the only things they have in common being chicken (or course) and a white sauce---usually a voulete, but sometimes a bechamel. Very often the filling is merely what you have on hand---onions, sure. Mushrooms? Why not. Peas. Carrots. Potatoes. Corn. Whatever.

For me, chicken pot pie is a by-product of making stock. I start with whole chicken parts when I make my stock. After 40 minutes I pull the legs, thighs, and breasts, remove the meat, then return the bones to the pot. This leaves me with a big pile of nicely poached chicken, some of which is used for pot pie.

As a rough general rule (mind you, this is measuring strictly with an M-1 Eyeball Detector) the additions, in total, take up the same volume as the chicken. And I prefer making individual pies to a single big casserole.

For savory pies I use a simple pastry dough:

1 1/2 cups soft (cake) flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup lard

1/4 cup cold water

Sometimes I add a little dry mustard as well.

Because I pretty much suck at rolling pastry dough I use a different technique. The dough is rolled, in my hands, into small balls, about the size of marbles. I then flatten each of them with my fingers and arrange them across the top, making sure they all at least touch or are slightly shingled. I get all sorts of compliments about how good my pie crusts look---so let's keep the fact that I can't roll dough our little secret.

Personally, I would not double up on pie. Not at a formal dinner, that's for sure. But if it's just you and the family, and you like them both, then go for it! Or maybe make the apple pie in the form of a tart, so that one dish only has a top crust and the other only a bottom. Or use the same flavor profiles in a totally different format. An apple pudding, for instance.
 

I cook in a number of different shelters. The products we get/use are usually "grocery story ordinary items". This is my off-the-reservation Bohemian recipe. It's cheap easy and tasty. NO, it's not haute cuisine. I will say this though, there are never any complaints or leftovers. 

Everything is cooked at one time then assembled. From bag to table is less than 20 minutes for 100+ people. 

 or  or any bread/roll product. Cook them per spec, cut out centers, use them like bowls. 

Actually, cream of anything of whatever company we get, regular flavors though; cream of pumpkin is not much of a favorite. We actually combine anything we've got, "cream of ... mushroom, celery, broccoli, asparagus, onion ....."

 Again, whatever brand we get, always frozen, sometimes un-breaded. 

The soup cooks up the fastest. We bake up the chicken, cut it into small pieces, then add it to the soup. The rolls come out hot, we do something to the centers to make them into bowls *, scoop in the soup/chx mix ... and away it goes. Like I said before ... No complaints or leftovers. 

* We use whatever we cut out of the rolls to make a bread pudding for dessert. 

Sounds much like a voul a vent (or howeverinhell it's spelled), which, back in the day, was haute.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Sounds much like a voul a vent (or howeverinhell it's spelled), which, back in the day, was haute.

Vol au vent. I didn't know it was ever haute cuisine? In France that's the stuff my mum would make us on a week day, for lunch. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Sounds much like a voul a vent (or howeverinhell it's spelled), which, back in the day, was haute.

No, no, no, it's a Foul au vent!!!   I guess the only way chickens can fly

KY , YES,   CORN - a great addition to chicken pot pie.  I love the biscuit crust because it;s like a sort of bread to sop up the extra sauce, and it's just pressed together.  Though now that you mention the corn, I remember i've sometimes used a cornbread crust - slightly sweetened because i really love a little sugar in the salty and a little salt in the sweet. 

if you want i can teach you to roll out a pastry crust.  Guaranteed. 

LOL. Call it whatever makes you happy. At Sister Mary Teresa's, they just call it "good". When I go there I usually get +/-50 helpers. It almost gets to be more trouble (crowding) than it's worth. They go far beyond anything I ask them for. There are so many people working that I sometimes get scared to use sharp instruments. I've been fortunate to get a dozen or so friends jobs as kitchen help. All this shelter work hasn't made me any coin, but it's gonna help me get into heaven I guess. 

It's kinda funny, but some author wrote something using the name "Sister Mary Teresa". I've never looked it up though. 

You can almost put any vege in chicken pot pie, I shy away from onions though. Some places make a vege pot pie.

It is all left to your imagination,and taste

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefedb 

You can almost put any vege in chicken pot pie, I shy away from onions though. Some places make a vege pot pie.

It is all left to your imagination,and taste

For my daughter when she comes I make her a variation with chickpeas and pretty much all the same other stuff, though a vegetable broth and some milk in the veloute.  Not bad, i must say.  Well,. they ARE called CHICK peas...  ok someone's going to say i'm getting carried away now

I'm getting carried away now.

There. I said it.

I've never made a chicken pot pie Pastry always scares me away.  Hubby is always asking me to make one for him though.  I've wanted to make one but I love poached chicken so much I usually eat it all straight out of the pot.  I'm horrible.

You don't have to make your own pastry anymore.  But if you want to go from scratch, the pie dough recipe/technique I gave you will work great (omit the butter).  It's just a top crust so (a) you've already done it successfully; and (b) you don't have to worry about it getting soggy. 

Other crust possibilities include biscuit dough, biscuits from the tube, croissants from the tube, and all sorts of other easy things.  Since you're the Queen of Phyllo, why not give that a whirl?

The filling is just poached chicken in a cream sauce, with whatever vegetables you like, and seasoned as you like it.  I regard pearl onions, peas and carrots as essential; and anything else as "extra credit."

It's an assemblage.  Under cook the meat and vegetables slightly; turn them into the prepared and seasoned sauce (thyme, rosemary, bay leaf); turn the sauce into the "pot," casserole, gratin, individual ramekins or individual gratins; cover with chilled, prepared dough (of your choice) either completely or partially (as with biscuits); bake in a medium oven until the dough becomes a finished crust and not a minute longer. 

Alternatively, you can use very little sauce to bind the chicken and vegetables; roll it up "strudel" style in whatever dough you deem apropriate; slit; bake; and serve with sauce and relish (such as cranberry or rhubarb) on the side.

Making other meat pies is substantially the same.

BDL

PS.  What do you know about Poseidon's fresh, hand made phyllo dough?  Any good?

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze 

You don't have to make your own pastry anymore.  But if you want to go from scratch, the pie dough recipe/technique I gave you will work great (omit the butter).  It's just a top crust so (a) you've already done it successfully; and (b) you don't have to worry about it getting soggy. 

 

Other crust possibilities include biscuit dough, biscuits from the tube, croissants from the tube, and all sorts of other easy things.  Since you're the Queen of Phyllo, why not give that a whirl?

 

The filling is just poached chicken in a cream sauce, with whatever vegetables you like, and seasoned as you like it.  I regard pearl onions, peas and carrots as essential; and anything else as "extra credit."

 

It's an assemblage.  Under cook the meat and vegetables slightly; turn them into the prepared and seasoned sauce (thyme, rosemary, bay leaf); turn the sauce into the "pot," casserole, gratin, individual ramekins or individual gratins; cover with chilled, prepared dough (of your choice) either completely or partially (as with biscuits); bake in a medium oven until the dough becomes a finished crust and not a minute longer. 

 

Alternatively, you can use very little sauce to bind the chicken and vegetables; roll it up "strudel" style in whatever dough you deem apropriate; slit; bake; and serve with sauce and relish (such as cranberry or rhubarb) on the side.

 

Making other meat pies is substantially the same.

 

BDL

 

PS.  What do you know about Poseidon's fresh, hand made phyllo dough?  Any good?

 

Is this post directed at me or am I being narcissistic?

The "you've got top crust under control" is Koukouvagia specific.  The rest is generic.

BDL

Well of course you should. It's a delicious and frugal way to re-purpose leftovers. I like to make it in single serve ramekins so I can freeze them for lunches and quick meals as needed.

Phil

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

I've never made a chicken pot pie Pastry always scares me away.  Hubby is always asking me to make one for him though.  I've wanted to make one but I love poached chicken so much I usually eat it all straight out of the pot.  I'm horrible.

Nothing horrible about eating stuff right out of the pot.  That's one of the kicks of cooking - you get to eat everything at every stage of production (dough and piecrusts included)

Why don't you try it with the biscuit crust.  it's very easy, rough, thick and the epitome of comfort food. 

With the mashed topping it's   like Shepherds pie.. Try making a Duchess Potato Mix and use that. It is very good on a vege, beef  or seafood pot pie.

Actually the filling shouldn't be too soupy. You can control the thickness of the white sauce by changing the the butter/flour to liquid.  The proportions Siduri gives above should be fairly thick.

Either mashed or biscuits is good. Personally I think mashed is more homey and Biscuits fancier and give you bread to mop your bowl. The recipe Siduri gives above is a start but I prefer a lighter biscuit. BDL has a good thread on making biscuits here.

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/45825/basic-buttermilk-biscuits-theory-and-technique