No, Not Chicken POT Pie
My faithful Vermont test kitchen, a.k.a. Zachary and Clark, has been working overtime, making pie. Chicken pie.
We admit we were intrigued by the whole idea of "lost" recipes. The first one we tried (which shall go unnamed) was awful. But this one is a winner. We've adapted it a bit. The cooking time depends on the type of pie crust you prefer. We used an all-Crisco pie crust, which will never brown as much as a crust made with butter and/or lard. The best crust for this may be the one we use for our Lobster Pot Pie.
This is the first time we've ever used evaporated milk, and it worked beautifully. Note that evaporated milk is quite different from "sweetened condensed milk," which has sugar added. Evaporated milk simply has water removed, and it saves time if you want to thicken a sauce.
This recipe makes too much filling for a 9-inch pie. But the filling is so good that saving the leftover for later is hardly a problem. We're looking forward to having it over toast!
Chicken Pie
Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds chicken breasts
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1-2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
2 cups best chicken stock
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons sherry
3 scallions, chopped fine
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 pie crusts for a deep 9-inch pie pan
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with a bit of water)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil; season liberally with salt and pepper; cook on sheet pan for 30-35 minutes, until firm but not overdone; remove and let cool. Cut up chicken.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat; add celery and cook for 5 minutes; add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds; stir in flour and whisk slowly until it just begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk, stock, lemon zest, thyme, and sherry; bring just to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, until it thickens.
4. Remove from heat; extract garlic and correct seasoning; add chicken and scallions; check seasoning again; let cool for about 30 minutes while you make and roll out the pie crusts.
5. In deepest 9-inch or 9.5-inch pie plate, lay out one of the crusts; brush with egg wash; add filling; top with cheddar cheese; cover with remaining crust; crimp the crusts together; cut vent holes in top; brush with egg wash.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until crust is deep golden brown; remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. (You will probably have filling left over; save it and serve over toast for a delicious easy lunch or supper.)
America's Best Lost Recipes, The Editors of Cook's Country Magazine, Cook's Illustrated, 2007
--Tracy Schneider
Tapeworm on March 08, 2010 at 06:49 AM
What, no veggies?