I Shot the Chef

Growing up, I loved chicken pot pie night. I thought it was soooo yummy. However, the pot pie I ate was a frozen one and was filled with preservatives and just bad tasting stuff. I had no idea how truly awful it was until I tried it again years later as a poor college student. Now I make pot pie from scratch, with real ingredients and I don’t have to poke the frozen top with a fork (although that was my favorite part as a kid!).

Since it actually hit the freezing point here in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks ago, I was craving some comfort food, and chicken pot pie was the first thing that popped in my head. I forgot how easy and quick this is to make. If you want to make it even easier, top it with store bought puff pastry.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Filling
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c all purpose flour
3 c chicken stock
salt
pepper
2 c cooked chicken, diced
3 carrots, 1/2 inch dice
3 medium potatoes, 1/2 inch dice
3 stalks celery, 1/2 inch dice
1 c frozen green peas, thawed under running water
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium sized pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

2. Gradually add in the chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients and bring just to a simmer and remove from the heat. Divide mixture among oven safe crocks or ramekins. Or if you want to make one large pie, use a large pie dish.

4. Top with the biscuit round. If making one large pie, either top with circles of dough that touch at the sides, or one large piece of dough. If you do one large piece, make sure you cut a few holes in the dough or you might have a mess on your hands later! Brush with milk or buttermilk. Place the crocks or pie plate on a sheet pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until the biscuit is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Biscuit Topping:
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in small cubes
3/4 c buttermilk

1. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 5-6 times, until the butter is a little smaller than pea sized.

2. Add the buttermilk all at once and pulse a few more times to incorporate. Do not overmix or the biscuit will be tough.

3. Scrape out the biscuit mixture onto a lightly floured surface and quickly roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut circles to top your crocks or ramekins. Press together the scraps and cut more circles.

Makes about 6 servings

Note: This is even better if you take the time to start with a whole chicken and make your own stock. In this case, I simply broiled two chicken breasts in the oven and used organic store bought stock.