Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Chicken Pot Pie

 * Plan ahead, dough needs to chill

 Crusts

350g flour, plus extra for dusting
175g cold butter, plus extra for greasing
6 tbsp cold water

Filling

4 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 c. carrots, sliced small
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
pepper to taste
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. frozen corn

To make the crusts: Place flour in a bowl and grate in the cold butter. 

Use a pastry cutter to incorporate the flour and butter together. Occasionally shake the bowl to bring any large pieces of fat to the surface. It should look like breadcrumbs.

Add about 6 tablespoons cold water, a spoonful at a time. Mix with a knife between each spoonful.
Enough water has been added when the mixture just begins to hold together in a soft mass.

Gently gather the pastry together against the side of the bowl and turn it out onto the work surface.

Gently shape the pastry and pat it into a rough ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove half the pastry from the cling film. Re-wrap the pastry that you’re not using immediately in cling film so it doesn’t dry out.

Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Flatten the pastry. Working from the center out, roll out the pastry into a circle, about 14inches across. Between each rolling, turn the pastry a quarter turn and dust the rolling pin with flour if sticky. Don’t stretch the pastry or turn it over.

With floured hands, fold the pastry in half, then in half again, to resemble a fan shape. Place it in the pie plate with the point in the center. This will help minimize stretching. Do not grease the pan before putting in the pastry; it is unnecessary and can cause the pastry to stick.

Unfold the pastry and ease it into the pie plate without stretching or pulling. Do not worry about the pastry hanging over the edge, because this will be trimmed later.

To make the filling: Preheat oven to 425 F.

Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken, carrots, onion, and seasonings. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, stirring often.

Add the flour. Stir well, until no dry flour remains. 

Slowly stir in the cream, then the chicken broth. Cook until bubbling and thick, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the peas and corn. Let this cool for 15 minutes before filling the pie. 

While the filling is cooling, roll out the second ball of dough for the top of the pie. 

Spoon the cooled filling into the pie crust in the pie plate. Top with the second crust. Seal the edges of the pie crust together. Cut 3-4 slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Trim the edges a little, leaving a little overlap.

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet with a rim. Bake 30 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. 

Cool 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Berry and thewholesomedish.com