Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe by Nicole Thom-Arens
Makes 1 9-inch deep-dish pie
Savory pies are less popular in the U.S. than they are in Europe, but as a fan of The Great British Baking Show since it first aired in the States in 2014, I’ve become enamored by the glory of a delicious savory pie. This one is inspired by an American chicken pot pie but with autumnal flavors perfect for a chilly fall evening.
Ingredients:Crust:1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 cup whole wheat flour2 teaspoons kosher salt (Reduce to 1 teaspoon if not using Diamond.)1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed1/2 refined coconut oil, room temperature 1/2 cup ice water (1 to 2 additional tablespoons if needed)
Filling:1/4 cup unsalted butter2 leeks2 cups diced butternut squash1/4 cup diced white mushroom1 1/2 cups thinly sliced kale1/4 cup all-purpose flour2 cups chicken stock/broth2 cups shredded chicken1/2 cup whole milk1/4 cup half-and-halfKosher saltBlack pepperEgg wash1 large egg1 tablespoon water
Instructions:1. To make the crust, mix together the flours and salt in a medium mixing bowl.2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and coconut oil until fine crumbs form. 3. Add 1/2 cup ice water to the mixture. Stir to combine. If the mixture is too dry to form a dough when pressed together, add an additional tablespoon or two of ice water, one at a time, to form a loose dough.4. Turn the dough mixture out onto a clean, un-floured worksurface. Knead until a dough forms. Divide the dough in two. Form each half of the dough into a round, flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 5. Prepare the vegetables as instructed above. For the leeks, use only up to the light green stem, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice them thinly. Rinse well and pat the dry. Set aside. For the squash, cut the neck off the base of the squash, remove the skin, cut into 1/2-inch discs, then cut each disc into 1/2-inch sticks and dice to achieve a 1/2-inch dice. Set aside. (While the pie was baking, I peeled and diced the remaining squash, put it in a freezer bag, and stored it in the freezer.)6. Once the vegetables are prepared, melt the butter in Dutch oven or sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Add the leeks to the melted butter and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Add the butternut squash. Season with salt. Cook until nearly tender. Add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.8. After the mushrooms have cooked, season the mixture with black pepper. Stir to combine. Add the flour. Stir to combine and cook until golden. Stir constantly. 9. Once the roux is golden, add the chicken stock/broth. Stir to combine and smooth any lumps. Bring to a boil. 10. Add the kale and chicken. Stir to combine. 11. Stir in the milk and half-and-half. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool. 12. To prepare the double crust for the pie, work with one disc of dough at a time. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes. Generously flour your worksurface. As you roll out the dough, start from the middle and roll to the edge, lifting the pin just before you get to the edge. Turn the dough a quarter rotation between each roll to keep an even circle and prevent the dough from sticking. Add additional flour to the worksurface as needed. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness.13. Gently fold the dough from the bottom up and right to left. Carefully, lift the crust into the ungreased deep-dish pie dish, placing the point in the middle of the dish, and carefully unfold the dough. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan. (Do not stretch the dough. You just want to ensure the dough is fitted into the entire pan.) Leave the edges of the dough untrimmed.15. Prepare the top crust by rolling it the same way as the bottom crust. 16. Add the cooled filling to the dough-line pie dish then transfer the top crust by fold the dough from the bottom up and right to left and gently lifting it and placing the point at the center of the filling. Unfold the top crust so that it completely covers the filling. 17. Trim the crusts to a 1-inch overhang. Roll the crusts together toward the center of the pie (2 rotations) to make a rope-like crust at the edge of the pie tin. Using your thumb and index finger of one hand and thumb of the other, make a crimp around the top of the pie.18. Chill the pie for at least 30 minutes in the freezer. 19. While the pie is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water. 20. After the pie has chilled, remove it from the freezer and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until the crust is golden the filling is bubbly. 21. Once baked, allow the pie to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. The filling of the hot pie will be runny but will thicken as it cools.
Instructions:1. To make the crust, mix together the flours and salt in a medium mixing bowl.2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and coconut oil until fine crumbs form. 3. Add 1/2 cup ice water to the mixture. Stir to combine. If the mixture is too dry to form a dough when pressed together, add an additional tablespoon or two of ice water, one at a time, to form a loose dough.4. Turn the dough mixture out onto a clean, un-floured worksurface. Knead until a dough forms. Divide the dough in two. Form each half of the dough into a round, flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 5. Prepare the vegetables as instructed above. For the leeks, use only up to the light green stem, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice them thinly. Rinse well and pat the dry. Set aside. For the squash, cut the neck off the base of the squash, remove the skin, cut into 1/2-inch discs, then cut each disc into 1/2-inch sticks and dice to achieve a 1/2-inch dice. Set aside. (While the pie was baking, I peeled and diced the remaining squash, put it in a freezer bag, and stored it in the freezer.)6. Once the vegetables are prepared, melt the butter in Dutch oven or sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Add the leeks to the melted butter and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Add the butternut squash. Season with salt. Cook until nearly tender. Add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.8. After the mushrooms have cooked, season the mixture with black pepper. Stir to combine. Add the flour. Stir to combine and cook until golden. Stir constantly. 9. Once the roux is golden, add the chicken stock/broth. Stir to combine and smooth any lumps. Bring to a boil. 10. Add the kale and chicken. Stir to combine. 11. Stir in the milk and half-and-half. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool. 12. To prepare the double crust for the pie, work with one disc of dough at a time. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes. Generously flour your worksurface. As you roll out the dough, start from the middle and roll to the edge, lifting the pin just before you get to the edge. Turn the dough a quarter rotation between each roll to keep an even circle and prevent the dough from sticking. Add additional flour to the worksurface as needed. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness.13. Gently fold the dough from the bottom up and right to left. Carefully, lift the crust into the ungreased deep-dish pie dish, placing the point in the middle of the dish, and carefully unfold the dough. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan. (Do not stretch the dough. You just want to ensure the dough is fitted into the entire pan.) Leave the edges of the dough untrimmed.15. Prepare the top crust by rolling it the same way as the bottom crust. 16. Add the cooled filling to the dough-line pie dish then transfer the top crust by fold the dough from the bottom up and right to left and gently lifting it and placing the point at the center of the filling. Unfold the top crust so that it completely covers the filling. 17. Trim the crusts to a 1-inch overhang. Roll the crusts together toward the center of the pie (2 rotations) to make a rope-like crust at the edge of the pie tin. Using your thumb and index finger of one hand and thumb of the other, make a crimp around the top of the pie.18. Chill the pie for at least 30 minutes in the freezer. 19. While the pie is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water. 20. After the pie has chilled, remove it from the freezer and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until the crust is golden the filling is bubbly. 21. Once baked, allow the pie to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. The filling of the hot pie will be runny but will thicken as it cools.