From Daryl aka Avery:
One of my favorite memories as a girl is having chicken pot pie. Yes, the frozen kind that you pricked the top with a fork and baked until the insides goo'ed out. Swanson's, I think. And then I graduated to Marie Calendar pot pie. The crust was so fabulous!
And then I had to learn to eat gluten-free. Boo-hoo. But last year, while writing AS GOUDA AS DEAD, I was determined to come up with a great chicken pot pie, gluten-free. Yes, you can make the crust with gluten, if you can eat it, but you don't have to. There's nothing in the filling that has gluten. Yay!
My husband says the insides are perhaps the best he's ever had. In fact, he asked me to make it just as a "stew" one night, no crust, and it was delish!
So enjoy away. This one is a keeper (for me, anyway).
THE
COUNTRY KITCHEN DINER CHICKEN POT PIE
(Serves 4-6)
4 cups chicken broth (gluten-free, if necessary)
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into thing rounds
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 clove garlic, chopped fine (if desired)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons white wine
1 pound skinless chicken breasts, pre-cooked and shredded
1 cup frozen peas
1 recipe pastry dough (see below)
[Note:
Make pastry dough first *recipe below, and refrigerate, then precook your chicken breasts. To
cook chicken breasts, I wrap them in foil and pop them in the oven at 300
degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.]
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a 6-quart saucepan, heat the chicken broth
over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large stockpot, melt butter over
medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, parsley, sage, and garlic. Sauté
until tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Stir.
To the hot broth, add the cornstarch and whisk
together until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the mixture to the vegetables.
Stir in the heavy cream, white wine, chicken, and frozen peas. Bring to a boil
then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
With a ladle, fill 4-6 ovenproof ramekins or
bowls with the filling. (This recipe made 4 in my ramekins.) Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Top with pastry dough, pinched around the rim of the ramekin.
[Note: For
the crust, you can use store-bought pastry dough, or you can make it from
scratch using this recipe below. For gluten-free, substitute your favorite
gluten-free mixture for the flour. I use a blend of sweet rice flour and potato
starch.]
PASTRY
DOUGH
(Yield one crust)
1 ¼ cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter or shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash on pastry
(see below)
Kosher salt
Put flour and salt into food processor fitted
with a blade. Cut in 3 tablespoons of butter or shortening and pulse for 30
seconds. Cut in another 3 tablespoons of butter. Pulse again for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons water and pulse a third time, for 30 seconds.
Remove the dough from the food processor and
form into a ball. Wrap with wax paper or Saran wrap. Chill the dough for 30
minutes.
Sprinkle flour on a countertop or board. Remove
the dough from the refrigerator and remove the covering. Place a large piece of
parchment paper on a countertop. Place the dough on top. If desired, cover with
another large piece of parchment paper. This prevents the dough from sticking
to the rolling pin. Roll out dough so it is 1/4-inch thick. Using a biscuit
round or mold (or be daring and go freehand), cut out dough large enough to
cover the tops of the ovenproof ramekins, leaving about 1/2-inch hangover.
Place each round on top of the individual bowls and crimp the dough over the
edge.
Brush with the egg wash and, IMPORTANT, make 4
small slits on the top of each to let out steam. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Place the baking sheet with ramekins in the preheated oven. Bake for 15-20
minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
******************
I love chicken pot pie too Daryl, and had many meals out of those frozen ones:), exactly in the order you described. This recipe looks so much better though!
ReplyDeleteThe frozen ones have their place, but if you have time, homemade is the way to go. Either way you go, they are so comforting, aren't they?
DeleteI'm with hubby...could eat it without the crust! This is definitely a keeper!
ReplyDeleteThe filling is so tasty, I enjoy it both ways - though I'll admit I do love that first steamy cut into the crust.
DeleteOh, I love pot pies! I will be making this! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your preferred flour for gluten-free? I haven't used too many yet.
DeleteElaine, I use sweet rice flour and tapioca flour, occasionally potato starch and sorghum flour. Sweet rice flour really helps with the binding process. Learned that 16 years ago!
DeleteThanks! Good to know! Sometimes I have to go gluten-free for company.
DeleteLOL! You, Roberta, and I ate exactly the same things! I love chicken pot pie. So comforting! Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it, Krista. What is it about chicken pot pie that is so comforting?
DeleteAdd me to the "love (good) chicken pot pie" list. Nice chicken and vegetables, with a creamy sauce holding it all together, topped with a lovely, flaky crust.
ReplyDeleteAnd your fine directions: "2 large carrots, peeled and cut into thing rounds"
Love it!
I might just adopt that as a new kitchen term, what do you think?
DeleteGo for it!
DeleteWhy must everybody put peas into pot pies? I love pot pies, but never eat them because I hate peas. Peas are very hard to pick out of pot pies, which I did when I was a kid. Now I just give up and never eat them. Stupid peas.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for peas that much either...but for a really good chicken pot pie I'll tolerate them. Mom used to make a cold pea salad & make use eat a serving. Ugh, that may have the turning point for my peas dislike!
Delete