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Sunday Dinner – Chicken Pot Pie
Served with a winter salad
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Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 90 minutes |
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 Belgian endives
- 1 curly endive
- 1 small radicchio
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup walnuts
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, preferably non ultra-pasteurized
- Puff pastry (try to find the kind made with butter), or make your own pastry
- One 3-1/2 lb. chicken, preferably organic (you can buy a pre-roasted chicken for this, or roast your own)
Shopping List
- All-purpose flour
- Bay leaves
- Black pepper
- Black peppercorns
- Chicken broth
- Dried beans (to use for pastry weights if you don’t have them)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
- Red wine vinegar
- Sea salt
- Unsalted butter
Pantry Items
- Aluminum foil
- 9X13 baking dish
- Chef’s knife
- Heavy skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Paring knife
- Pastry weights
- 10″ pie pan with removable bottom
- Roasting pan
- Roasting rack
- Salad spinner
- Sheet pan
- Small saucepan
- Spatula
- Steamer
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Vegetable Peeler
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: Merlot
- Dessert: Ice Cream
- Total time can vary greatly if you purchase a pre-roasted chicken and pre-made pastry. If you have time, make it all from scratch.
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine and pour yourself a glass
- Prep
- If you are roasting your own chicken, do that first.
- While the chicken is roasting, make the pastry if you choose.
- Both of these steps can be done well in advance.
- When you’re ready to start the pie, roll out half the pastry dough (or one sheet of puff pastry) to fit the 10-inch, removable bottom tart tin or a pie plate. Trim the edges and crimp them and refrigerate.
- Peel the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise.
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Trim and dice the celery.
- Peel and mince 1 clove garlic.
- Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
- Put 2 of the eggs in the small saucepan, cover with water and set over high heat. When the water boils, turn down the heat so it’s simmering and cook the eggs for 10 minutes.
- Remove any damaged leaves from the lettuces (Belgian endives, curly endive and radicchio). Separate the leaves. Rinse and spin them dry then tear the leaves into large bite-size pieces and put in a large bowl.
- Remove the meat from the chicken and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. You’ll need about 4 cups of cubed chicken.
- Coarsely chop the walnuts.
- Whisk the final egg with 1 tsp. water.
- Start Cooking
- Check the eggs. If they’ve been cooking for 10 minutes, remove them from the pan, set them in a bowl and cover with cold water. Add a couple of ice cubes if you’ve got them. Leave them in the bowl until they’re cool.
- If the oven is 425F, line the pastry with aluminum foil, add enough dried beans or pastry weights to cover the bottom of the pastry by 1/2-inch, set the tart tin on the baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden on the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Fill the bottom of a steamer or a saucepan with 3 cups water, place the steamer in the pan and put over high heat. When it boils, add the potatoes, cover and cook until they’re tender, about 15 minutes.
- Combine 1 cup chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, and 6 black peppercorns in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it boils, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in 1 tbsp. flour and cook until the mixture bubbles, then for 2 more minutes.
- Strain the hot stock into the butter/flour mixture whisking it all the time and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Check the pastry. If it is golden, remove it from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and weights.
- Whisk 1/4 cup heavy cream into the stock and flour mixture. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Check the potatoes. If they’re tender, remove them from the steamer and when you can, thinly slice them. It’s a good idea to let them cool for awhile.
- Melt 2 tbsps. butter in the heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and the celery and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the pan, stir and warm it for about 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the peas to the pan and stir.
- Add the sauce to the vegetables and chicken and stir.
- Roll out the remaining half of the pastry (or the puff pastry) to a 12-inch circle.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs and thickly slice them.
- Line the pre-baked pastry with the sliced potatoes. Top with the vegetable and chicken mixture, then the sliced eggs.
- Brush the edges of the pre-baked pastry with the egg and water mixture. Set the round of pastry on top of the pie, and gently press it onto the cooked edges of the bottom pastry. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Pierce or cut some holes in the pastry, set the pan on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until the pie is nice and golden.
- While the pie is baking, make the salad. Put the shallot in a large bowl with 1 tbsp. vinegar. Whisk in a pinch of salt and some pepper, then whisk in 6 tbsps. olive oil. Taste it.
- You’ve got some time now to set the table and relax a bit.
- When the pie is cooked, remove it from the oven.
- Whisk up the dressing, add the greens, then toss, toss, toss. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top and take the salad to the table.
- Take the pie to the table – don’t forget a hot pad and the wine!
