MY Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
I’m late for #PiDay. Please forgive me. The actual 3.14 was LAST Saturday, and despite the number’s significance in the mathematical + Instafood worlds, it wasn’t quite repeating in our heads last week as much as it often does. No one was talking about pie. Something was wrong.
Damn straight! The end of the world! COVID-19 had arrived in New York City in full force and people were spending their weekends in loooooooong lines at the grocery store, stocking up on toilet paper and basically spiralling into panic, NBD.
Meanwhile, not to humble brag, but I had prepared for Coronageddon about one week prior, and was already feeling the general anxiety and illness that has befallen our city, our country, our entire planet. Everyone’s questioning—rightfully so—how legit this actually is, and when it will stop. No one knows. We’re all just winging it. But one thing is for sure: our planet is sick. The only way I know how to fix it, and to stay sane while self-quarantining in my bubble is to cook.
Let’s agree that this time calls for comfort food, and let’s accept that this recipe calls for two sticks of butter and just get over it. This is MY chicken pot pie recipe. I’m grateful to feature the beautiful irregular carrots that arrived in my “Best of the Season” farm box from The Chef’s Garden this week. If you’re longing for quality fresh produce from a faraway food desert like me, you can get your box delivered to your doorstep too, by clicking here.
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for rolling out dough
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter (8 oz.)
1/2 cup cold water
1 large chicken breast, seasoned
1 small vidalia onion, chopped
4-5 small carrots, chopped
1 handful frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg yolk
Method:
To make the pie crust, combine flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Cut butter into 1/2” thick cubes and add to dry ingredients, coating in flour to separate. Using the pad of your thumb and index fingers, smush each butter cube flat ONCE.
Add cold water and knead with your hands until dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap for and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Throw a nice glug of extra virgin olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. I seasoned my chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley because that’s just how I roll here but you can do whatever you want. Sear chicken breast and cook until done. Set aside.
In the same skillet, sautee onions and carrots in the juices leftover from chicken, just until slightly softened (they will finish cooking later, in the oven. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Using your well-sanitized hands, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to vegetable mixture and incorporate full can of cream of mushroom soup + peas. Let sit until room temperature.
Roll out your dough. You will have a bottom crust and a top crust. I don’t really care about making my pie look perfect, just tasting perfect, but if your a baking ballerina then I praise you.
Grease the bottom of a pie dish and lay in your bottom pie crust. Coat the rim of crust with egg yolk.
Add your filling to crust, and then place top pie crust over. Slice small holes in the top to let air and moisture escape.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit 20-30 minutes before serving.
and Fin!