Chicken Pot Pie!

If you're just tuning in - I have recently decided to make dishes this week which can be cooked in and/or served in our Le Crueset soup bowls and/or our ramekins.

Last night I made one of my best dishes...Chicken Pot Pie! It always comes out SO great. Really! The recipe I use is from the Food Network website - it's Chef Anne Burrell's "Autumn Chicken Pot Pie" recipe, although I do change a number of things in her recipe. I was only cooking for my husband and I 9like always) so I split the recipe right in half. Here's the original:

Autumn Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell

Prep Time:

45 min

Cook Time:

1 hr 30 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 stick butter, cut into pea-size pieces
• 1 (8-ounce) container cream cheese, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 3 pounds skinless chicken legs and thighs
• 4 cups rich chicken stock, (preferably homemade)
• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces haricots verts
• 6 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water, for egg wash

Directions

To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the ingredients start to come together and resembles Parmesan. Add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Pulse a couple of more times until the ingredients start to form a ball. If the mixture is exceedingly wet, add some more flour. Or conversely, if the mix is dry, dry, dry, add in a few more drops of water.

When the mixture has come together into a ball, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it a couple of times to help it come together. Dust it with flour, form it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use. This can be done a day ahead.

Cook's Note: When ready to use the dough, remove it from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before rolling, to allow it to warm up and soften.

To make the filling:

Coat the bottom of a stock pot lightly with olive oil put over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and the carrots and sprinkle with salt, to taste. Saute the vegetables for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt, then add the chicken and the chicken stock. If the stock doesn't cover the chicken, add water until it does. Bring the stock to a boil, over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, add the butternut squash to a large bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and add salt, to taste. Toss to coat the squash with the oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until the squash is cooked but still has some texture, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the stock and put into a large bowl. Reserve the stock. When the cool enough to handle, remove the bones from the chicken and stir into the vegetables. Add the roasted squash to the chicken and vegetables. Stir to combine and season with salt, if needed. Stir in the haricots verts and the chopped sage.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir to combine with melted butter. Cook stirring frequently until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand and is starting to turn a little beige, about 6 to 7 minutes. Gradually whisk in the reserved chicken stock. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. When the stock is combined into the roux, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until it has a gravy-like consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. If the gravy reduces too much and becomes too thick, whisk in a little more chicken stock or water.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the chicken mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish or 4 individual (2 cup) crocks. Ladle the "gravy" over the chicken mixture until the dish(s) are 3/4 filled.

Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into the shape of the casserole dish or large enough to cut circles to cover the individual casserole dishes. Whichever dishes are being used the dough needs to have generous overhang of dough on the edges of the dish. Brush the outside edges of the dish with a little of the egg wash to help "glue" the dough to sides of the dish. Fold the edges of the dough under and press it onto the edges of the dish. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining egg wash. Cut a couple of vents in the top of the dough to allow the steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven until the dough is golden brown and the inside is hot and bubbly, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

MMMMMM...tastes like chicken!

So here's what I do. First - I made the crust. It's the easiest 'dough' I've ever made! You can make it 1-24 hrs ahead of time, which works for me! I decided to make it after lunch...but I did forget to take pictures. :-/ All I did was take out the handy dandy food processor, chopped up the butter & cream cheese in to pea size pieces with a knife - then threw it in to the processor, and then added the flour and salt. I pulsed it a few times until it was about the consistency of parmesan cheese (like the recipe said). The I added 1/2 an egg yolk (that's a tricky task right there) and the water. Sure enough, after a few more pulses it turned in to a ball! I took it out, kneaded it a few times on a floured surface, and wrapped it in plastic wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator.

Later on in the day I started on the soup. I sauteed the onion, celery & carrot in my soup pot in a bit of olive oil. Added salt. After sauteeing for about 8 minutes I added the garlic, and let it sweat for a minute or two.

Then I added the chicken. I like using boneless and skinless chicken breasts, so I used two of those. Also - I use the full amount of chicken stock (4 C) because I like having some leftover chicken soup for tomorrow's lunch. :-) I brought the soup to a boil, then simmered for 30 minutes.

Instead of using the butternut squash (since my husband isn't a fan of squash) I decided to use red potatoes. I cut up two of them in to 1/2 - 1 in pieces, tossed them in some olive oil and s & p, and spread them out on to a lined baking sheet. I baked them in the oven (at 350) for about 20 minutes.

When the chicken was finished cooking I fished it out of the pot and cut it up in to small 1/2 in pieces.

At this time I also grabbed some frozen peas (about 1/2 C) and defrosted them mostly in a little bit of water in the microwave. I used peas instead of green beans because a) I love peas, b) I thought they'd be a nicer shape and size in the pie, and c) I always have some in my freezer! At this point I added the chopped chicken and peas in to the pot of simmering veggies and chicken broth.

Time to take out the dough - to let it warm up a bit! Now I made the delicious gravy. I melted about 1 1/2 tbsp of butter in a saucepan, then added 2 tbsp flour. I ended up having to add about 2 more tbsp flour, in order to get it to the correct consistency (wet sand-like). I then whisked in most of the chicken stock from the soup, which was a bit challenging with the small veggies. I ended up holding a mesh strainer over the saucepan, and just kept ladeling soup in to it. That worked the best! I used most of the stock (thankfully I had some more boxed stock to make leftover soup!) I brought the gravy to a boil, and then let it simmer for 25 minutes. While It was simmering I rolled out the dough and shapped it in to two large circles (each bigger than the bowls).

I preheated the oven to 375 and started to get things ready to assemble my adorable pies. Of course I put the soup bowls on a lined sheet pan, because I knew it would get messy! I whisked up an egg and some water and brushed the sides of the bowls down, to give the dough something to stick to. I started putting it all together by splitting the roasted potatoes between the two bowls:

Then I added the chicken and veggie mixture:

Next - the gravy. I used it all!

And last but most DEFINITELY not least - the dough! I cut a few slits in the top to let the air out during baking, then brushed it with egg wash and sprinkled it with some kosher salt.

Stuck them in the oven for 30 minutes, did a bunch of cleaning up, and before I knew it the timer was going off!

Although it is incredibly difficult, let them sit out of the oven for a good 10 - 15 minutes before you dig in....we did and I still burnt my tongue a little!

What a sucess...again! So yummy....my husband and I both loved them! :-)

That's all folks!