Chicken Pot Pie

Eat While: hunkering down for the winter.

Pairing: Glass of Chardonnay or Pear Cider

Inspiration: Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat

First Timer Tips: While homemade chicken stock and crust add an extra layer of goodness, it’s totally ok to use store-bought if that’s better for you. Speaking of crust, don’t be afraid to get some color on that baby!

Dedicated Time: 2 hr. 30 min for the dough + 2 hr for the pie

Components:

For the filling:

3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp butter

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 large carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 large celery stalks, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 c dry white wine

1/2 c cream

3 c chicken stock

1/2 c flour

1 c frozen peas

1/4 c chopped parsley

1 pie crust (recipe below)

1 egg, lightly whisked

Preheat oven to 400°F. Set the oven rack to a center-high position.

Season chicken generously with salt the night before if you can. If you don’t have that much time, try to salt at least an hour before cooking. Refrigerate the chicken if seasoning more than an hour in advance; otherwise, leave it on the counter.

Set a large pot over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. When the oil shimmers, place half of the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down, and brown evenly on all sides (~4 min per side). Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Carefully discard the fat and return the pot to the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, bay leaves, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to take on color and soften (~12 min). Pour in wine and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon.

Nestle the browned chicken into the vegetables. Add the cream and chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook meat for a total of 30 min. Turn off the heat, then transfer cooked chicken to a plate and allow the sauce to cool. Discard the bay leaves and thyme. After the sauce sits for a few minutes and the fat rises to the top, use a ladle or a wide spoon to skim it into a liquid measuring cup or small bowl.

In a separate small bowl, use a fork to combine 1/2 c of the skimmed fat with the flour in a thick paste. When all the flour has been absorbed, stir in a ladleful of cooking liquid and combine. Return this thickened liquid to the pot and bring the entire sauce back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce no longer tastes of raw flour (~ 5 min). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then remove from heat.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and chop the skin finely. Add the shredded chicken and skin, peas, and parsley to the pot. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.

Roll out pie dough into a 15x11-in rectangle (~1/8-in thick). Cut at least 4 1-in long steam holes into dough. Pour pie filling into a 9x13-in glass or ceramic pan. Lay the dough over the filling and trim the dough to leave a 1/2-in border around the lip of the pan. Tuck the dough back under itself and seal. If the dough won’t stick to the dish on its own, use a little bit of egg wash to encourage it to stick. Brush crust thoroughly and generously with egg wash.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 min, until dough is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Serve hot.

For the crust:

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 heaping Tbsp sugar
Large pinch of salt
16 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in cubes
~1/2 c ice water
1 tsp white vinegar

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, then freeze the whole thing for 20 minutes (if the bowl won’t fit in the freeze, then just freeze ingredients) . Freeze the butter and ice water as well.

Fit the bowl on the mixer and turn to the lowest speed. Add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time, and mix until the butter looks like broken walnut pieces - be careful not to over-mix! Add the vinegar in a thin stream. Add just enough water and mix as little as possible until the dough barely holds together (some shaggy bits are fine).

Press dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

*6-8 servings