You lucky chicken

March 31, 2010 | Posted By: Annie | 4 Comments
Filed Under Life 

I am a naughty cook, I rarely measure and never completely follow recipes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. . . I would generally say I don’t particularly make anything better than anyone else I know, except for my one claim, chicken pot pie. It can bribe this man to do anything, it convinced my chicken-pot-pie hating grandmother to convert, and my husband can polish off half a casserole dish in one sitting. Due the intense power it holds over humanity, and the freakish amount of butter it contains (rivals a Julia Child allotment) I don’t make it but twice a year and it was about time, I had to get it in before summer hits.

Here is the recipe, I attempted to estimate measurements and it seems according to my sister and Mollie that they are right, but don’t hold me to it if you disagree.

Crust:

-in food processor add:
2 c flour
2 sticks sliced up butter
1 t salt
1 t sugar

-turn on low and pour in spout:
1/4 c cold water (or gradually add more until dough begins to come together)

-pulse until it starts coming together in chunks
wrap in cellophane and refrigerate 30min. while you make the filling.
heat oven to 400
this makes just enough crust for a 9×13
or make more baked by itself for extra crusty-ness to have on the side, the recipe halves very nicely.
this is my favoritest crust ever, for anything needing a crust.

Filling:

-in large dutch oven saute on med-high until softened:

2 T butter

2 red potatoes diced into 1/4″ pieces (optional)

3-4 chopped celery stalks
1 chopped large sweeeeeet onion
-then add and cook 30 sec:
2 t minced garlic

-then stir in and cook 2ish min.:
3 T of more butter
6 T flour

- then slowly add :
32 oz of chicken broth

-then bring to a boil, when thickened turn on low and add:
4 shredded cooked chicken breasts
4-5 sliced carrots that have been parboiled til tender-crisp (or frozen carrots boiled half their recommended time)
1 smallish package of frozen peas
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t white pepper (its nice and subtle and smokey)
1/4 t poultry seasoning
1 t rubbed sage

- simmer until everything is hot and adjust all seasoning to taste, you’ll most likely need more of all but the black pepper. fill large 9×13 casserole dish or two small ones or what ever it fits in and cover with rolled out pie crust, slitted prettily in the middle. they don’t need to be perfect as you can see from the photo. bake 30 min at 400 degrees or until edges start getting  a slight suntan. remember how many vegetables are in it and forget about the buttah.

I’m not sure if Chris will appreciate this photo. The chicken pot pie in context of the gold couch and straggling laundry that I should have folded before we sat down to eat.

If you don’t trust my recipe, then give the incredible smitten kitchen a try, or holy cow, the amazing foodbeam, though I confess have never been courageous to convert any of her recipes. But just go look at them anyhow.