24 September 2010

Chicken Pot Pie - A Comfort Classic


Chicken pot pie is one of my all-time favorite cool-weather comfort classics. Sometimes I make a 9-inch round pie or even a 13x9x2-inch pie, but individual pot pies are just so cute! Especially these petite ones in 8-ounce ramekins, the perfect size for a "something different" first course or for pairing with soup and/or salad for a light lunch. You could even make them for a chic little "small plates" party! I always make the big pies with both top and bottom crust, but I like the petite pies with just a top crust.

Petite Chicken Pot Pies

Pastry (see below)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2/3 cup finely diced carrots
1 1/2 cups halved, finely sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium skillet, melt butter and saute onion for 3 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper and carrots; saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or two. Gradually add broth, cream and sherry; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken and peas. (It's easy to forget about the peas because all the other vegetables went in at the beginning. But don't! The peas are wonderful.) Adjust seasoning. Divide mixture among six 8-ounce ramekins.

2 Roll out the pie crust to nearly 1/4-inch thick. Using your ramekin as a template, cut out 8 circles about 1/2 inch greater in diameter than the ramekins. Top each ramekin with a circle of dough, fold excess under, press down the edges or crimp with a fork, and cut a 1-inch slit, or prick with fork, to vent. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If you like, prepare ahead of time. Chill filling, assemble, cover pies and keep refrigerated until ready to bake. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 45 minutes before serving time. Put pies in oven 30 minutes before serving time. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pastry
(food processor* method)


1 1/2 packed cups (7.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon
lemon juice or cider vinegar

1 With metal blade in place, add flour, salt and baking powder to work bowl of food processor. Turn on for three seconds to combine. Add half the frozen butter and process for 10 seconds or until mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Add remaining butter and pulse for six 1-second pulses, or until the frozen butter is the size of small peas.

2 In cup, combine lemon juice and ice water. Pour over all of flour mixture; pulse for six 1-second pulses or just until dough forms large clumps; do not over-process. (The amount of water you will need depends on your climate and the moisture content of your flour. You may not need to use quite as much water as I do.)
3 Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten slightly into a 4-inch round disk; double wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to three days. (Let thoroughly chilled dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.)

* I have the DLC-10E, which (understandably after all this time) is no longer available. See the "
My Little Shop" page for a current model.

41 comments:

Unknown said...

Chicken pot pies definitely say comfort food! Yours look wonderful! I wish it would cool down here, it makes it hard to get into the cold weather food when it's still 100 degrees!!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Jenn! I know what you mean about the temperature. When it's hot, I'd rather just eat cold watermelon and salad!

Anonymous said...

make? really? but you can buy Marie Calendar's in the grocery store and not have to clean up the kitchen afterward.

I'm always looking for shortcuts!

--Don

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

C'mon, Don, there's no comparison! And it's fun to make! (I'll admit I wouldn't mind not having to clean up the kitchen afterward.)

Angie's Recipes said...

I don't remember when I actually made the chicken pot pie....it must have been ages. This looks fabuuuuuuulous!

Angie

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Angie. It would look even better if I hadn't left out the peas. I love the peas. My husband said he could photoshop some in for me!

Emily said...

Hi Jean - Thanks for your comment on my blog. I'm glad to find out about yours, too! Your chicken pot pie looks fabulous. This dish is one of my husband's favorites, so I'll have to wait until he is back to give this one a try!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Emily! Yeah, wait till he's back. It's too good not to share!

Marc Frederic said...

Oh I do like this one! Merci B Q.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Marc! I hope you'll make the little pies soon.

Cranberry Morning said...

Thank you, Jean, for this wonderful recipe! I refuse to buy Poison Chicken Pot Pie from the store, and had not had a recipe to make real chicken pot pie - until now. I'm doin' it!!

Glad you enjoyed visiting Askrigg with me. I must have been introduced to 'All Creatures...' in the wintertime, for on Sunday evenings I always made something good, and took a cup of coffee or tea with me to have my special time in England with James, Sigfried, and Tristan - on the TV, of course. I have the first two series on DVD. I never tire of them! (In fact, I'm going to order the third for Christmas, cuz I love all those shows...until they got the new Helen. :-)

And true, there's nothing like snuggling up with Lionel. He is a real cuddler!!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

That's a good one, "Poison Chicken Pot Pie from the store." That's why I make my own with all organic ingredients, no shortening, no trans fats, no preservative, no "poison"!

PS I didn't like the new Helen either. The first one was sooooo perfect.

whatsfordinneracrossstatelines said...

Thanks for reminding me, I haven't had this dish in so long! It's like a great big hug. I love the crust recipe too. I can't wait for it to cool off a bit more here so I can make this.
-Gina-

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Gina! I'll be making it more when the weather cools off. It's one of those dishes that can really warm you up on a winter's day.

~ Chef Louise said...

Hi Jean, great to meet you today. A lot to take in. I love pot pies, it is such a cozy comfort food. I especially like the soggy crust at the bottom...
~Chef Louise

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Louise! Cozy comfort food is my specialty, especially now as I'm anticipating the colder and, I hope, rainy weather.

Nancy said...

Hi Jean!!

Guess what just went to the top of my list for "to make" items when the weather cools down?? These wonderful chicken pot pies! A perfect dish for that bit of leftover Sunday roast chicken!!
It was great to meet you yesterday!!

eatingRD said...

Hi Jean! Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere. Wish we could have chatted too! I was drooling when I saw those little pot pies. I love the essence of your blog and all the comforting dishes :)

Unknown said...

Jean-

I never thought of making individual pot pies, what a great idea! These look so yummy, thank you for sharing the recipe. Thank you for the nice note on my blog, I too wish we had more opportunity to get to know each other at CB. We had a seven hr drive back to AZ, so had to leave right after. I hope to see you again in the future!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Nancy, Kristen and Jules--Thanks for stopping by! My blog is easy to follow because I post just once a week, Friday morning. I don't know how anyone can post several times a week. As it is, I need to clone myself!

Diane Schmidt said...

I love comfort food and this is just perfect for that! Great to meet you yesterday at campblogaway!

Priscilla - She's Cookin' said...

I love chicken pot pie - and these look delicious, but it's been too hot here (finally summer in SoCal) to enjoy this kind of rustic comfort food. Can't wait until we can tho :)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Diane and Priscilla, thank you for visiting my blog! Glad you like the pies. I'll be making them a lot once the weather cools off.

redkathy said...

Hey Jean, love your mini pots pies! Haven't even thought about pot pie in ages and it's so yum, shame on me. Love the food processor method, quick and delish!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Kathy. Be sure to try them as soon as it cools off a bit. I never used to use the food processor for pie crust, but I've gotten lazy. And it works great if you're careful to not overprocess.

Teryll said...

Hmmmm....it may reach 100 degrees in LA today, but you just made my mouth water for chicken pot pie. One of fav comfort foods when I was a wee lil' thing.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Teryll! Maybe hold off on making it until you're out of triple-digit temperatures!

Kim said...

I love chicken pot pie!!! And kudos for making your own pastry. :o)

It was great to meet you at Camp Blogaway. Wish there was more "chat" time. But that's what the next event is for, right?!

Have a great week,

[K]

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Kim. I've been making pastry since I was a teenager, so that's no chore. Once you "get it," you've got it!

Lentil Breakdown said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Wish we had a chance to meet the other day. Your food looks so tantalizing. Am curious about your writing gigs as that's my profession too. Maybe we'll have to email for the details. : )

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Adair! "Tantalizing" is a great word, isn't it?

Sippity Sup said...

Okay, now you are pushing all my "mommy" buttons. Are you doing that on purpose? I HEART Pot Pie. GREG

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Greg! That made me smile. Hey, I'm everybody's "mommy" in the kitchen.

Mary said...

I love chicken pot pie - I don't think I've made it myself though. I usually end up making chicken & dumpling instead because crusts give me headaches. I just need to practice!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Mary, practice is all it takes. You'll get the hang of it, and no more headaches!

Pretty. Good. Food. said...

I love a good chicken pot pie recipe. Sounds delicious :)!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Meredith. They are definitely comfort food.

Richard Sheppard said...

This looks like a real treat! Time consuming, yes but worth it. My mother-in-law will be visiting soon and this should be a good addition to the menu.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Richard! Yes, it is a bit time-consuming, but kind of fun when you can take the time.

Family Around the Table said...

We love chicken pot pie and how fun for each of us to get our own! I love your from scratch crust! Pure comfort food for sure.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, FATT! I always favor individual servings when I'm not in too much of a hurry!