Chicken Pot Pie

Tim and I spent a relaxing Easter together.  This Day of rest for us was supported by having Good Friday off for Tim so he could get some work done in the yard.  He did yard work Friday and Saturday, then Sunday we watched a movie and made Chicken Pot Pie.  We are definitely fans of comfort food, but don't often allow ourselves to have it due to the typical abundance of fat and typical limited influence of vegetables on the plate.  However, there's nothing wrong with adjusting a recipe to allow for a comfort food to become more healthy.

I took a recipe from William Sonoma's Comfort Food book.  This marvelous tome has everything glorious from breakfast to desserts.  Absolutely everything we've tried from this book has been exceptional.  Additionally, it's not just comfort food, but I'd consider these recipes to be gourmet comfort food.  So I didn't need to modify much to make this recipe more special.

First, no good self respecting pot pie would be worth it's weight in salt without a fabulous crust.  Every good crust I've tried has always had a combination of butter and shortening.  We all know that shortening has partially hydrogenated oils which is the definition of trans-fat.  But you need the balance of the butter for flaky and the oil for tender to make the perfect crust.  I suppose this is a step up from lard, though, right?  My advice here is either to go light on the crust (one layer), to use puff pastry which only contains butter (read the label), to substitute the Crisco with canola oil, or to minimize the frequency with which you have this recipe and go ahead and have your dang crust.  As it was a holiday, we went ahead and had our dang crust, but used whole wheat flour as a consolation.

the Crust:

• 2.5 C Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 C (1 Stick) unsalted butter, very cold, diced
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 4 T Crisco (or 1/8 C canola oil)
• 6+ T Ice water

Using your food processor, pulse the flour and salt together to combine.  Drop in the butter and pulse 5 times at 1 second intervals.  Pour the oil in circles over the mixture, pulse again until the mass looks like crumbs the size of small peas.  Drizzle in 3 T of water, pulse.  Attempt to clump a bit in your fingers, if it holds it's shape you're fine.  If not, add in more water 1 T at a time.  You may not need to use all the water.  This depends on your elevation and the humidity of the day.  Don't allow the mixture to ball up in your food processor.

You can use a pastry cutter and your hands in place of the food processor. Or you can have a big fat wedding and two showers and get all the kitchen electrics your inner cook desires!

Dump the mass onto plastic film and shape into a disc.  Place the disc in your fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.  

the Veg:

• 1/2 lb Mushrooms, sliced (any variety, I used Baby Bellas and Cremini)
• 2 C Leeks, light green and white parts, sliced and well rinsed.
• 2 C other veggies (we used a thawed organic frozen mix of corn, green beans, peas and carrots)
• 1 T unsalted butter

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and toss to coat with butter.  Cook until the mushrooms release some liquid and brown slightly.  Add in the leeks and cook until wilted.  Add in the other vegetables.  Remove from heat and set aside.

the Protein:

• 4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Pat dry the chicken and season with the salt and pepper.  You can grill or roast or pan fry the chicken, but cook completely until the internal temperature reaches 170.  Slice and set aside.

the Sauce:

• 4 T butter
• 1/4 C whole wheat flour
• 4 C Chicken Stock
• 1/3 C Dry Sherry
• 2 T fresh tarragon, stems removed, chopped
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Melt butter over medium heat.  Sprinkle with the flour and whisk to combine.  Add in the Stock & Sherry.  Bring to a boil whisking frequently.  The sauce should thicken.  Once thickened, add in the Chicken and the Veg and stir to combine.  Let mixture rest for 1 hour.

Once cooled, roll out dough.  I believe the recipe I gave you is for two crusts.  Preheat oven to 400 F.

Lightly grease or spray a 3 L casserole dish (if using bottom and top crust, skip step if only using a top layer).  If using a bottom crust, line the crock with dough and allow some to hang over the sides.  Fill with pot pie mixture and cover with remaining crust. Crimp the two crusts together and pierce top with a fork prodigiously to allow steam to release while cooking.

Place casserole on top of a foil lined pan to catch any messes that might happen.  Bake for 25+ minutes until crust has achieved desired browning.  All ingredients inside are cooked through, so the only thing you are looking for here is a fabulous crust.

Insides will become molten lava.  Please serve, but allow to cool slightly before consuming.

Enjoy!