Classic Chicken Pot Pie
A Blast from the Past
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
The first—and only—casseroles I ate when I was a kid were mac and cheese and chicken pot pie. I didn’t think of them as casseroles, though, because they came frozen in little single serve tins courtesy of Swanson or Banquet. I don’t think I considered the possibility that either of these dishes could be made from scratch, or prepared in larger quantities, until I was well into my teens.
And as for that elusive thing called a casserole, I wasn’t quite sure what it was. But it sounded kind of fancy and I wished my mom would make one.
I still am not sure if I can define a casserole, but here goes: it’s a recipe that calls for three or more ingredients that are combined with some kind of sauce in a single dish (called, oddly enough, a casserole dish) and baked in the oven. It can be a main course meal that might be served with a side dish—or sometimes it’s the side dish.
The key is that it’s baked in a ceramic or glass container with or without a cover, not cooked on the stovetop (though that method might provide similar results). And whether you are making a true casserole or its stovetop cousin, it’s a one-dish meal that is kind of creamy or gooey or both.
The fact that I thought casseroles were supremely elegant when I was a kid is probably because my mom rarely cooked anything with more than one ingredient. She roasted a chicken. She baked some potatoes. She heated a can of corn or steamed a head of broccoli. Combining different foods—and with spices!— before cooking them wasn’t really in her wheelhouse.
These thoughts on casseroles were sparked as I looked over one of Lake Isle Press’s first cookbooks: “Contemporary One Dish Meals” by Mara Reid Rogers, which was published in 1991. It has a lot of recipes that would have sounded exotic to me when I was a kid, like Turkey Tetrazzini, Lobster Newburg, and Chicken á la King (as well as some that I would never had heard of, like Lamb Bobotie, Saffron-Shrimp Pilau, and Pepperpot). Her recipe for classic Chicken Pot Pie brought back memories. I had never made it before so I decided to give it a try.
I considered making it as a soup because the filling has always been the main attraction for me with Chicken Pot Pie. But I had a package of puff pastry in the freezer, so I used that variation for the crust and subbed peas and green beans for mushrooms, thyme for savory, and rice wine for sherry. The end result was tasty indeed with a wonderfully creamy interior covered by a light, crusty top. Like Banquet, only better.
Moving past my mom’s silo-based approach to cooking means I no longer see casseroles as exotic fare. But though I now regard them as more homey than haute, their place at my table reflects how I saw them when I was growing up. They may be comfort food… but they get the good china.
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie With Herbed Crust
Click here for printable recipe.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
CRUST
1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dillweed, or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled
½ cup lard or unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces, chilled
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Dara O’Brien
FILLING
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or margarine
1 large red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup chicken stock heated
¾ cup half-and-half, heated
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried savory, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons dry sherry
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch-thick slices
8 ounces mushrooms, preferably short-stem, wiped clean with a damp paper towel trimmed, and thinly sliced
3 cups cooked chicken, cut into ½ inch-wide strips
GLAZE
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream
PREPARATION
To make the crust: In a medium bowl sift together the flour and salt. Stir in the dillweed. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the chilled lard or butter, a few pieces at a time, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the egg yolk beaten with water. Then add the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to allow dough to form but not become sticky. Form into a flat disk. Wrap in wax paper and chill at least a half hour or until ready to use.
To make the crust in a food processor: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, salt, and dillweed and pulse to mix. Add the lard or butter and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Pulse in the egg yolk beaten with water. Then, while pulsing machine, add the ice water through the feed tube a tablespoon at a time. Process until dough is moist and just hangs together. (Do not let dough form into a ball in the processor.) Remove dough from the bowl, form into a flat disk, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate at least a half hour or until ready to use. (The dough can be prepared ahead, wrapped, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring the dough to room temperature before proceeding.)Preheat the oven to 375° F.
To make the filling: Melt the butter in a heavy 3 to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the onion, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft but not browned. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the flour, a little at a time, until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes.
Add the hot chicken stock, hot half-and-half, rosemary, savory, salt, and pepper and whisk until blended. Stir in the sherry, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and chicken. Simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, transfer contents to a deep 2- to 3-quart baking dish or casserole (preferably oval), and reserve.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick. Trim to fit the top of the baking dish with a 1-inch overhang. Lightly moisten the edges of the baking dish with water. Place the crust gently on top of the dish and crimp the edges to seal. Either cut a steam vent with a cookie cutter or make 2 diagonal slashes in the crust to expose the filling. Brush crust lightly with the egg glaze.
Bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
VARIATION 1: Substitute 1 sheet of frozen, pre-rolled puff pastry (half a 17-1/4-ounce package*) for the herbed crust. Trim the thawed puff pastry to fit the top of the baking dish with a 1/2-inch overhang and crimp. Cut a steam vent to expose the filling and brush with a glaze of 1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is puffed and golden brown.
*Available in freezer section of supermarket. Follow package directions for thawing tips.
VARIATION 2: Substitute turkey for the chicken and thyme for the dillweed.
Recipe from “Contemporary One-Dish Meals” by Mara Reid Rogers, Lake Isle Press, 1991
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie With Herbed Crust
from “Contemporary One-Dish Meals” by Mara Reid Rogers, Lake Isle Press, 1991
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