CHICKEN POT PIES
Yields 5 to 6 individual pies or 1 large pie
Crust
- 1 lb. unsalted butter
- 1 ½ lbs. all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup cold water
Directions
- Cut butter into small pieces.
- Combine butter, flour, and salt in a large bowl.
- With your hands, mix flour, butter, and salt together until butter is pea size. Do not overwork or crust will be tough.
- Slowly add just enough water for mixture to come together and form a ball. It should be smooth and not tacky. Form dough into one large round or 5 to 6 small rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap, put in refrigerator, and let rest.
Note: Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- ¼ lb. butter
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 tsp. finely chopped thyme
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ lb. all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
Directions
- Roast chicken. Let cool and pick meat, discarding the skin and bones. Make sure to reserve any chicken fat.
- In heavy-bottomed pan, melt butter with chicken fat. Add carrots, celery, onion, thyme, nutmeg, Old Bay Seasoning, and wine. Sauté just until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in flour to make a thick paste. Turn heat to low, and stir in cold stock. Bring sauce back to a simmer and a thicker sauce will form. Fold in chicken meat and buttermilk. Bring back to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in frozen peas and corn. Cool mixture completely before making the pies.
- While mixture is cooling, roll out pie dough. Coat rolling area with all-purpose flour. Roll out 1 large or 5 to 6 individual rounds. (Size of each pie round depends on size of baking dish. Make sure to roll it larger than dish so you can crimp edges.)
- When pie filling is cool, place in one large pie dish or 5 to 6 ramekins, and cover with dough. Neatly crimp edges of dough to form a seal around dish. Place in freezer, and freeze completely before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Place frozen pie(s) on a sheet pan to avoid spills. Bake until golden brown and bubbly (1 hour or more).
Recipe by Babette’s Kitchen in Millbrook, New York, babetteskitchen.com
Photography by Monica Buck | Styling by Nan Whitney