Sam's Classic Chicken Pot Pie
The American Classic, made from scratch, designed and tested by Sam for your dining pleasure.
Ingredients
Poached Chicken and Chicken Stock
- 1 whole chicken about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 celery stalks cut into 4-inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into 4-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken stock paste as needed
Crust
- 2 ½ cups AP Flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cubed
- ¾ cup vegetable shortening chilled
- ½ cup ice water more or less as needed
Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced peeled baking potatoes
- 1 cup 1-inch pieces fresh green beans
- ¼ cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons divided, salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
Poach chicken
- Place chicken in a large stockpot. Add mirepoix and enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil over high, then immediately reduce heat to a bare simmer (190*F).
- Continue to simmer until chicken has just cooked through, about 25 minutes, skimming any foam that rises to the top.
- Transfer chicken to a plate without discarding the broth or the mirepoix in the stock pot. Allow chicken to cool slightly. Remove and discard all skin and fat. Remove meat from bones, tear into bite sized pieces and reserve.
Make Stock
- Add bones back to stock pot and continue to simmer for an additional 2 hours. Strain stock through a fine sieve into container and refrigerate; discard solids.
- Skim solidified fat from refrigerated stock. Taste and add stock paste base as necessary to intensify flavor.
Crust
- Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK).
- Drizzle cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps.
- Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands.
- Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days).
- When rolling out the chilled pie dough, use gentle force, starting from the center and working outwards in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go.
- Refrigerate the pie crust between sheets of parchment paper while making the filling.
Filling
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add potatoes, beans, corn, carrot, onion, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Reserve.
- In a small bowl, stir together broth and half-and-half; whisk in flour until mixture is smooth. Bring half-and-half mixture to a simmer in a large, wide pan and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Add parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme. Taste and Adjust seasonings. Add cooked vegetables then remove from heat, and gently fold in chilled chicken. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Lay dough over the top of the chicken mixture. Fold edges of dough under, and crimp as desired. Cut 6 slits in top of dough to release steam. Brush beaten egg onto dough, and sprinkle with salt. Place pot pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.