Hi all!
With the colder months upon us, and Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge, we thought it high time to share one of our favorite recipes - the endlessly versatile pot pie. Use left over turkey or chicken, or cook the turkey or chicken as you go. Buy the crust or make your own crust. Add more peas if you like them, fewer if you don’t. Mushrooms to add to that umami richness, or extra leeks if you like your alliums. I encourage you to use this recipe as a guide, and then make it your own!
Note that this recipe yields two pies! If you’re certain you can’t eat two over the course of the winter, then divide the recipe in half. Otherwise, I encourage you to make the larger batch and freeze the leftovers. Chicken pot pie ingredients are very nice to have in the freezer.
Chicken or turkey POT PIE
Yield: two pot pies
Crust*:
Yield: 2 top and bottom crusts. If you only want a top crust, divide the recipe in half.
400g all purpose or pastry flour (pastry flour will yield a flakier crust)
150g unsalted butter
50g leaf lard (sold at the shop)
1-3 teaspoons ice water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
*Yes, of course you can buy a store-bought crust if you prefer!
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream
Filling:
Yield: Enough filling for two pies
5 pounds uncooked, bone in, skin on turkey or chicken OR 8 cups pulled (not packed) cooked turkey or chicken
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons high heat oil
4 carrots
4 ribs of celery
1 large yellow onion or 1 large leek (or a bit of each)
3-4 bay leaves
6 - 10 leaves sage
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 - 1/2 cup cream or milk
4 cups chicken or turkey stock (preferably unsalted so you can season to taste)
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
8 tablespoons flour
2 cups frozen peas
1 pound mushrooms (a mix of chanterelles and cremini work nicely), optional
CRUST ASSEMBLY:
Visit the store and pick up some leaf lard (and whatever you need for your filling!)
In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour and salt.
Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add them and the lard to the flour. Pulse until the butter is in pea sized pieces and well distributed throughout the flour. Then drizzle in a tablespoon of water at a time until a dough starts to come together. It’s very hard to tell if you’ve added enough water without touching the dough, so after every addition of water, take a small handful of dough and squeeze it. If it falls apart like sand, it needs more water, if it comes together, it’s ready.
Move the dough onto a clean counter and gently press it together until it is one cohesive piece of dough. If it is very sticky, gently knead in a bit more flour. If it is very dry, drizzle in a bit more water. Cut the dough ball in half, and press each half into a disk. Wrap both halves tightly in plastic wrap and move to the fridge.
Make your filling!
While your filling is cooling, preheat an oven to 400°F.
Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and divide it in two piece. Using as much dusting flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter, roll each piece into a circle large enough to cover the bottom or top your pie pan. The dough should be roughly 1/4 inch thick.
Drape one piece over the pie pan and gently press it into the bottom of the pan.
OPTIONAL STEP: If par-baking your crust (which will ensure a crisp bottom crust rather than a soggy one), gently press a large piece or two of foil on top of the pie crust and fill it with pie beans (or whatever dried beans you have at home in your pantry). The beans will keep your pie crust flat as it bakes. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden and you can easily lift the foil from the pie crust without it sticking to the crust. Remove the foil carefully and pour the beans into a container for the next time you need pie beans.
To bake:
Allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes, then add in half of the filling and drape the other piece of rolled out dough over the top. Seal and trim the edges as desired. Brush the top with egg wash and cut at least 6 to 8 1” slits into the top crust so steam can be released without tearing the crust.
Bake at 350°F until golden brown.
Repeat with second pie or freeze the filling and crust until you’re craving a second pie. The dough can be frozen in the disk form and thawed overnight in the fridge before rolling it out. Alternatively, you can freeze the fully assembled unbaked pie. If doing this, do not par bake your bottom crust.
FILLING ASSEMBLY:
If using raw chicken, start here (if not, see below):
Visit the shop and buy your chicken or turkey, leaf lard, butter, and onions.
Once home, unwrap the chicken and sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of salt over the pieces.
Preheat a dutch oven or similar medium-large pot (ideally one with a heavy bottom and sides that are at least 4 inches tall).
When the pot is hot, add in around 2 tablespoons of high heat oil. Carefully add the chicken skin side down to prevent splatter. Cook the chicken until golden brown on all sides, adjusting the heat as needed.
Meanwhile, chop the carrot, celery, and onion (and/or leeks) into a medium dice.
When the chicken is browned, remove it and set aside on a plate.
If using, add the torn mushrooms to the pan and cook, until golden brown and soft. Resist the urge to mix your mushrooms too frequently or they will not brown. When softened and browned, remove them from the pan and set aside for later use. Next add in the diced carrot, celery, and onion into the chicken pan, and cook until softened.
If using cooked chicken or turkey, start here! The rest of you, continue on!
If just starting, add a splash of oil to a large dutch oven or similar medium-large pot, ideally one with a heavy bottom and sides that are at least 4 inches tall. If using, add the torn mushrooms to the pan and cook, until golden brown and soft. Resist the urge to mix your mushrooms too frequently or they will not brown. When softened, remove them from the pan and set aside for later use. Next add in the diced carrot, celery, and onion into the same pan, and cook until softened.
Add the bay and sage leaves, along with a healthy pinch of salt into the pot with the vegetables.
When the vegetables are soft, add 1/4 cream or milk along with the stock. If you started with raw chicken: Add the pieces of chicken back into the pot since it’s likely not fully cooked yet. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer. After 15 minutes remove the whole pieces of chicken and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and bones and pull the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Simmer the stock and cream mixture for 20 minutes, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed with salt and black pepper.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, using your fingers or a fork, mash the flour and butter together so it becomes a uniform paste. Add one tablespoon of the simmering liquid to the butter and flour mixture and combine, making it as smooth as possible. Add in two more tablespoons of the simmering liquid and combine. When the flour mixture is smooth, begin adding it to the simmering liquid, whisking it in as you go. Once all of the flour mixture has been added, add the pulled chicken.
Cook over low heat, stirring regularly for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Add the peas and cooked mushrooms if using. Then taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Move to a heatproof container and into the refrigerator to cool, or allow to cool for 20 minutes before adding to your pie shell, if the mixture is still very hot when you add it to the pie shell, the butter in the crust will melt.
Once assembled (see above for detailed instructions) bake at 350°F until golden brown.
A beauty of a very large pot pie made by Russ