Chicken Pot Pie: Oh My!

Simply put, this was delicious.  Friday night was here and I was finally wanting to be back in the kitchen.  I hadn’t been grocery shopping all week, but I knew that I had some staples in the pantry/freezer.  I wanted something warm and comforting as Spring hasn’t official “sprung” here in Ontario yet (but France is awaiting me with 22 degree weather!).  The idea of a chicken pot pie came to me and away I went without a recipe, inspired by my glee to be back in the kitchen.

Let me tell you… it was perfect.  A delicious, healthy balance of comforting flavours that just wrap you up like a blanket.  CH called it a cross-over between chicken noodle soup and chicken stew, but better.

I used no cream or milk in this recipe but it was still thick and creamy from the potatoes and I loved the pop of color and spring feel the peas gave!  Feel free to throw in any vegetables you have on hand… I imagine this would taste delicious with asparagus and corn added in too!

I chose to serve this dish in individual serving bowls, topped with homemade pie crust.  Don’t feel the need to make pie crust if you don’t have some in the freezer like I did from making my Tourtiere a few weeks back.  Feel free to use puff pastry or phyllo dough – whichever you prefer.  Thinking about it now, I would have preferred puff pastry actually, but CH loved the pie crust topping, so it’s definitely a matter of personal preference.

This is definitely a great meal for a cool Spring evening and makes enough to have leftovers in the freezer too!  Don’t be afraid by the length of the recipe, it is a lot of little steps but trust me, it is worth it.

Enjoy!

JBean’s Chicken Pot Pie

Yield:  6 servings
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 7 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 5 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cups of carrots, diced
• 2 cups of green peas
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce
• S&P
• 1/4 batch of pie crust (or 1 package of puff pastry)
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten (to brush top of pastry with)

Directions:

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken thighs generously with S&P.  Add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook thoroughly, ensuring a nice golden crust on both sides (about 15 minutes).

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the 1-cup of white wine to deglaze the pan.  Allow the alcohol to cook off and scrape the pan with the back of your wooden spoon – you definitely want all of those yummy bits of chicken flavour.  Once the liquid has reduce by half, remove from heat and place the juices in a bowl until you are ready to use below.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, place the potatoes in the pot and cover with cold water.  Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat and cook until fork-tender.  Be careful to ensure you do not overcook the potatoes, you want them to retain their shape in the pie!  It’s better to undercook them, then to overcook them! Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain immediately.  Place back in the pot and allow to cool.

In a large stock-pot or dutch-oven, heat the butter over medium heat until sizzling.  Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour and mustard powder to the onion, carrot and celery mixture.  Stir well to ensure even distribution.  Cook the flour mixture for 2 – 3 minutes.

Increase the heat to high and add 2 cups of chicken stock to the flour/vegetable mixture, whisking constantly as you add it in.  Allow the mixture to come to a boil and continue whisking until thickened.

Add the remaining chicken stock, reserved chicken pan juices (above), hot sauce, bay leaves, thyme and a generous amount of S&P.

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At this point, preheat your oven to 375.

While the sauce is simmering, dice your potatoes and cooked chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Once the sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, add the chicken, potatoes and peas to the pot.  Stir well to incorporate.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Distribute the chicken goodness evenly among 6 bowls or alternatively, in one very large casserole dish.   Top each serving bowl with pie dough, ensuring that you pinch the edges well.  Slice the top of each piecrust with a knife to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.  After about 15 minutes of baking, brush the top of each piecrust with egg wash to get a nice, golden brown crust.

Enjoy!

An Original JBean Cuisine Recipe