Chicken Pot Pie

[Bear Bibeault]

Been a while since I posted a recipe, so here goes...



Bear’s Chicken Pot Pie

2 large bone in split chicken breasts (3 if small)
12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 c flour (3.2 oz)
4 c chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 c heavy cream
16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, generously salt and pepper.

2. Bake chicken until it reaches 161ºF, about 40 minutes.

3. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. The chicken can be prepared in advance.

4. Heat broth and bouillon cubes in a saucepan until boiling. Keep hot.

5. In a Dutch Oven, melt butter until foaming.

6. Add flour and cook for a few minutes to make a light roux.

7. Whisk in the broth and stir until incorporated and thickened. Add cream and stir in thoroughly. Add salt and pepper. (Be a bit generous on the pepper.)

8. Add chicken and mixed vegetables. Mix throughly.

9. Scoop into the bottom of the pie crusts, top with top crust, and crimp.

10. Mix egg with a little water or cream, and egg wash the top crust. Cut slits.

11. Bake at 400ºF until browned, about 45 minutes.

12. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Thank you. I see you use a lot of cooking terms in US which are unfamiliar to us this side of the Pond, so I have translated them.

How big is a stick of butter? Is it ¼lb? That's 113g.
375°F is approx 190°C or (in UK only) gas mark 5.
400°F is approx 205°C or (in UK only) gas mark 6.
161°F = approx 72°C.
3.2oz = 3.2oz = approx 90g
Is a cup 8floz? In which case it is about 230-240ml. An American floz is slightly larger than a British one.
A Dutch oven is a (??cast iron) casserole dish. I usually make a roux in a skillet or similar.

[Campbell Ritchie]

A few mintes ago, I wrote:. . . I usually make a roux in a skillet or similar.

A roux in Britain is what you in the States call a roux. Paul W will be delighted to hear said skillet is made of cast iron.

[Bear Bibeault]

Thanks for the translations, Campbell!

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Is a cup 8floz?

Yes.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:A Dutch oven is a (??cast iron) casserole dish. I usually make a roux in a skillet or similar.

Yes. In fact, here's mine:



I usually make roux in my saucier (pictured below with gravy*), but the Pot Pie recipe needs the extra space of the Dutch Oven.




* In fact, that's my Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy that I'll be making in a few days in preparation for our Thanksgiving meal.

[Bear Bibeault]

P.S. I'm not usually a fan of bouillon cubes -- they're salt packs, for the most part. But in this recipe, they provide needed seasoning and boost the chicken flavor. I never use bouillon cubes in place of real chicken stock.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Bear Bibeault wrote:Thanks for the translations, Campbell!

You're welcome

Many readers from non‑English‑speaking countries will never have heard of °F.

Yes. In fact, here's mine:

I would call that a casserole dish. I presume from its appearance that it is enamelled cast iron.

At least you can choose what size dish to cook pies in. I am forever disagreeing with Ruth because I cook my Kate and Sidney pie in a 3″ deep dish (very similar shape to yours but made of heat‑resistant glass) and she complains there is too high a pastry‑to‑meat ratio.

[Bear Bibeault]

P.P.S. To any Pie Purists who would be aghast that I did not make my own pie crusts: I certainly do so for dessert pies (my Apple Hand Pies cannot be beat!), but for dinner pies I think the refrigerated pie crusts are tasty enough and very convenient.

[Bear Bibeault]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Many readers from non‑English‑speaking countries will never have heard of °F.

Not to derail my own topic, but the fact that the US has never moved to the Metric System is a travesty.

I would call that a casserole dish. I presume from its appearance that it is enamelled cast iron.

Yes, it is. It is one of the work-horses of my kitchen.

At least you can choose what size dish to cook pies in. I am forever disagreeing with Ruth because I cook my Kate and Sidney pie in a 3″ deep dish (very similar shape to yours but made of heat‑resistant glass) and she complains there is too high a pastry‑to‑meat ratio.

A 3-inch deep pie would definitely be consider a deep-dish pie here. Most pie pans are in the range of 1 1/4 to 2 inches.

[Campbell Ritchie]

°F is one of a few commonly‑used measures in the Imperial/USA system not to be invented in Britain. It was actually German if I remember correctly. I did mark ″ for inches with a link for those not familiar with the abbreviation.

Ruth never makes pastry, saying that life is too short to make your own puff pastry, which is what your picture appears to show. I usually do make my own pastry, but only short pastry. Last attempt was a week or so ago. About 5 Kate‑and‑Sidney pies and one large apple pie. The latter with sweetened pastry. Horrible stuff, which turns into a gooey mess when I try to roll it. Tastes good, though. I have given up even trying to cook pastry in Summer.
At least you aren't doing what I tried yesterday. Cooking a Christmas Pudding aided and abetted by two three‑year‑old boys. It will be even more interesting next year when the little sister of one of them is a bit bigger

[Bear Bibeault]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Ruth never makes pastry, saying that life is too short to make your own puff pastry, which is what your picture appears to show.

No, that's just a short pastry; which is all that I make. I do use puff pastry now and again for things but wholly agree with Ruth: life is way too short to make your own puff pastry (unless you have a commercial folding machine -- which I most certainly do not). So I buy my puff pastry from the freezer section.

Horrible stuff, which turns into a gooey mess when I try to roll it.

I posted the pastry recipe for my Apple Hand Pies elsewhere (I'll see if I can find it rather than just posting it again), and it's pretty well-behaved when rolling.

At least you aren't doing what I tried yesterday. Cooking a Christmas Pudding aided and abetted by two three‑year‑old boys. It will be even more interesting next year when the little sister of one of them is a bit bigger

Yes, I'm lucky in that my two dogs have no desire to help out in the kitchen -- though one is always "on duty" while I'm cooking, hoping for something to accidentally drop.

[Bear Bibeault]

Huh, apparently I've posted a picture of the hand pies, but never the recipe. I'll fix that.

Here, by the way, is the "kitchen monitor". He's very vigilant about making sure that anything that drops on the floor adheres to the 5-second rule: