chicken pot pie perfection
I love the divinely simple. My chicken pot pie is just that. So stupid easy for the stellar results you get. Seriously. I get requests for these at the holidays and if I have a special dinner planned – this is always an option. I’m amazed every time I make one and am tempted to add some spice or herb, but resist the urge. Why mess with perfection. This recipe can be tweaked according to the preferences of the diners – which is why I rock out loud.
6 tablespoons butter – DO IT
1 cup onions
1/2 cup celery
Salt & Pepper to taste
NOTE: I add in a dash of cayenne pepper to lift it up a bit. It doesn’t even add heat, just flavor…
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup half and half
2 cups potatoes – mashed, diced, sweet, idaho, red, whatevs.
1 cup peas
1 cup carrots
2 cups chicken (or turkey)
2 tablespoons parsley
1 pie crust – make it easy on yourself; get a Pillsbury one from the fridge case.
Before you start – let’s make this as easy as possible. I like to use those little tiny smasher potatoes. They cook quickly and that’s the point of my cooking. I buy a pre-roasted chicken from the deli. I don’t have time to roast my own chicken… and most of the time it’s cheaper to buy it cooked from the store. Peas and carrots – I buy a bag of frozen diced combined and throw in two cups – easy peasy lemon squeezy. And the pie crust – again, get one from the refrigerator case, the come two to a box (which is important for effect later).
Okies. I like to start in a HUGE m-f’n stainless steel skillet. Melt butter, throw in onions and celery. Note: here is where you can start to customize your recipe. My husband hates celery – I leave it out and throw in a cup of mushrooms. Pretty much the key here is to add the veggies that need to be sautéed a bit.
Add salt and pepper. I use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper cause I’m a cooking snob and look down on table salt and pre-ground pepper (what a bitch). Hate Cayenne? Add some rosemary – I’ve been dying to do this, but the man isn’t too fond of an overpowering rosemary flavor. Maybe sage or thyme… all I’m sayin’ is… add the herb so the flavor can develop while the roux cooks/gets some color. Add that flour and cook on medium stirring when it looks like it needs to be stirred.
The rest goes QUICKLY – so make sure everything is cut and ready to throw in at this point. Whisk in 2 cups chicken stock. It thickens up pretty quickly, so turn the heat down to medium (if it isn’t already). When it gets nice and thick (mmmmm), add in the half and half. Stir until this thickens too.
Once you have soupy perfection – throw the rest of everything in. Potatoes, chicken, veggies, parsley. Stir until all smooth and perfect. Pour into a casserole. I don’t bother with a bottom crust. Bottom crusts are for amateurs who feel they have to make up for something with extra crust. Whatevs.
Unroll one of the crusts and make pretty on top. Cut some vent holes.
EXTRA CREDIT: take a cookie cutter to the other crust and cut out some pretty shapes and lay them on the other crust. It looks like you went to crazy effort and you can play it up.
Serve and bask in the glory.