Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

1/31/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

I love a good chicken pot pie but they are hard to find. I’ve tried the frozen ones in the supermarket. I’ve tried ordering them for dinner at diners and fine restaurants. Most of them are either boring, completely inedible or all hard-as-nails crust and no filling. The only solution was to make my own!

One night last week I was faced with a familiar dilemma—what to make for dinner. I had just about an hour to get it on the table. What to do? I had baked a whole chicken a couple nights before so there were leftovers in the refrigerator. I also had the usual celery, onions, carrots and frozen vegetables on hand. A light bulb went off—I’ll make a pot pie!

The problem was that I seldom make pot pies and I didn’t have a written recipe. My mother’s recipe file doesn’t even have one. I am basically starting from scratch every time I make one. This time I wrote down the ingredients and 3-step procedure.

For me, a pot pie is as much about the crust as the filling. I like a flaky top crust (no bottom) and lots of sauce covering the chicken and veggies. began with the crust. Pie dough is simple. I knew the ingredients that I wanted for the filling—chicken, celery, onion, carrots, pea and potatoes. The sauce I wasn’t so sure about.

Under the best of circumstances, I probably would use a thinned down gravy to cover the filling. But the family (Chuck and I and the dogs) had polished off the gravy. Some kind of cream sauce was in order. But what kind? In situations like this I have two references: My 1956 Betty Crocker’s Cookbook and Maryana Vollstedt’s “What’s for Dinner?” cookbook.  

Betty Crocker’s options were to extend leftover gravy with a white cream sauce or just use a white cream sauce. Her two suggestions for a crust were—a puff pastry or southern style biscuits. I didn’t like either one. So, I checked out what well known cookbook author, columnist and teacher Maryana had to say about sauces.

Maryana, who passed away last summer at the age of 91, is my very favorite cookbook author.  She lived in Eugene, Oregon, where she and her husband founded Reed and Cross, a small nursery and garden center. When I moved here in 1989, Reed and Cross was the place that you took visiting friends for lunch. Its roots were in gardening but eventually housed a gift shop, clothing, gourmet cookware, a landscape service, wine shop, a florist and a deli. It is now a shoe store but then, it was a shopper's dream!

I became acquainted with Maryana through her freelance recipe columns in the Register Guard. I not only clipped her columns but I own two of her now well-thumbed and splattered cookbooks “The Big Book of Casseroles” and “What’s for Dinner?” I used her Parmesan Cheese Sauce recipe for the filling. It was good but next time I’m going to spice it up a little. Maybe some sharp cheddar or green Tabasco. Enjoy!

 

BETTY’S CHICKEN POT PIE

Pastry

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons shortening

¼ cup ice water

Mix salt and flour; cut in shortening until pea-sized. Mix with ice water (add more if needed). Round into a ball. Roll out on a floured surface to fit pan. Set aside.

Filling

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup onion, diced

3/4 cup carrots, sliced

1/2 cup potatoes, cooked and diced

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup corn

Season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon thyme

Cover with hot water and parboil celery, onion and carrots until tender-crisp. Drain off hot water. Add seasonings, chicken, peas and corn. Set aside.

Maryana’s Cheese Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1//2 teaspoon chicken bouillon

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons white wine (or vinegar)

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup light sour cream

In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Add flour and salt and stir until blended. Add broth and stir until slightly thickened. Add milk, wine and Parmesan cheese; stir until smooth and flavors are blended, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Makes about 2 cups.

To assemble: Grease an 8x8” size Pyrex or Corning-style baking pan (or whatever will fit ingredients). Spoon in the filling. Cover with sauce. Top with pastry and crimp edges. Pierce the crust with a sharp knife to cut vents for steam to escape during cooking. Bake @ 425° F. 25-35 min. until filling is bubbling and crust is brown. Serves 4/6 dainty appetites.

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner can be read (alternate weeks) in the CG Sentinel