“Ma liked everything on her table to be pretty” ~Little House in the Big Woods
I jokingly referred to myself as “Ma Ingalls” while I was making this recipe in my Instagram stories, because I made it entirely from scratch, chicken stock and all. I could have just as easily taken a poke at Ina Garten and said ” If you can’t make it to the grocery store in time to shop with all of the little old ladies before a snow storm hits to make your own chicken stock from a whole chicken …boxed chicken stock is fine.”
Ha. I’m always here for some shade.
However you look at it, chicken pot pie is the ultimate in comfort food. Comfort food is the foundation of genuine happiness.
P.S. That beautiful chevron cutting board in the background was made by my husband and I can’t even. ❤
Ingredients:
For the pie dough:
5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 and 3/4 sticks chilled butter, cubed
5 tbsp. vegetable shortening (or lard if you are the REAL Ma Ingalls)
4 tbsp. sugar
8-10 tbsp. ice water
For the pie filling:
the meat from one whole cooked chicken
6 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 bag frozen peas
seasonings: sage, thyme, s&p
Directions:
For the dough:
- Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine.
- Add in the shortening and cubed butter, and use a pastry cutter to “cut” the cold butter into the flour mixture. You want it to be very well combined, so that you don’t see any butter. It will form together, but it is too dry. Add in the ice water and mix it until it is just combined.
- This amount makes enough for two whole pies (top and bottom crust). So you will divide this dough into four pieces, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Chill all four pieces until you need to use them.
For the filling:
- Get your dutch oven going over medium heat, with a two swirls of olive oil, and about 2 tbsp. butter. Sauté the holy trinity of carrots, celery, and onion for a few minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add in the mushrooms and garlic. Continue to cook the mushrooms down, and then add your seasonings. I chose sage and thyme, but rosemary is also another option. Use what you have on hand. Fresh herbs are preferred, but dried herbs are ok too.
- Now, you will use about 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux. This is needed so that you end up with a nice, thick, and creamy filling. Cook your roux for about a minute or so, and then add your chicken stock.
- Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and let it go for about 15 minutes. It should be the consistency of a cream based soup. Add in your shredded chicken, and frozen peas. Remove it from the heat and check your seasonings. I made my filling a few hours before I was going to assemble my pies, but you could always make your filing the day before as well, to save time.
To assemble:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Butter or oil your pie pans. I have standard 9″ pie pans. I also prefer glass, because you can look on the bottom as it is baking to ensure your bottom crust is baking properly.
- Roll out the bottom crust and press it into the bottom of the pie pan. Repeat for the second pie.
- Fill each pie shell with the filling, dividing it between the two. Now you will roll out the top crusts. Once you have the top crust on, pinch both the top and bottom shells together. Then you will trim off any excess, but don’t go overboard. You want to still have some left to roll under, to seal it. You can finish your edge however your prefer. I just pinch it in between my fingers and thumb to make a simple ruffle.
- Mix together one egg and a bit of cream in a small bowl. Brush this onto each of your pies. Using a knife, carve a small X into the center of each pie. You can then put each pie, directly onto the rack, in the oven. Bake for around 1 hour, until golden, and the bottom crust is baked through.
- Let the pies rest for about 10 minutes before you cut into them, to give the filling time to “set”. I cut each of my pies in 8 pieces each. Enjoy! XO, K
Beans+Rahz 