06 Nov A Pie, a Chicken and Me: Good Times
If indulgence is wrong then I don’t want to be right.
Some times I want it all. And at the same time. Preferably on a spoon. Theres just something about getting a warm thick creamy spoonful of deliciousness that using a fork cant live up to.
I could take all my favorite things and chop them up and put a butter soaked pastry on top I would be very happy. One dish that allows me to do this without looking like a three years olds plate is the Chicken Pot Pie.
A pie filled with chicken in a pot…a pot pie with chicken, anyway you arrange it, it just works. Its perfect harmony. They should also stir up warm fuzzy comforting feelings from back in the day. I unfortunately have never had a good CPP anywhere. Ever. The only CPP I like is the one I make. Maybe its because I don’t like the peas and carrots that are usually thrown into the traditional CPP. I like to jazz up my CPP with unconventional vegetables like fennel, broccoli, lima beans and kale. Funny enough, all super green vegetables that happen to be my favorite as well. But don’t worry if you don’t have all these vegetables on hand. The beauty of this dish is that you can put whatever you like in it. You really cannot go wrong. The only things I stress is that you have the best quality of everything that you are choosing to put into your filling. Thanksgiving leftovers work excellently for this, or any leftovers for that matter!
I like to put dill into my CPP to brighten things up a little. This also creates such a beautiful fragrance when you pierce the buttery Puff Pastry and are hit with the sweet dill in your face.
Here’s how I do it.
-Make sure you have two ovenproof bowls.
-1 Pound of Roasted Chicken. (I suggest buying this already roasted from your supermarket) pulled off bones
– 3 Tablespoons Butter
-1 Small Onion Chopped
-1 Fennel Bulb Chopped
– ½ Cup Frozen Lima Beans
-2 Tablespoon Flour
-3 Cups Chicken Stock
– ½ Cup Heavy Cream (2 table spoon for pastry)
-1 Bunch Kale (cleaned, and roughly chopped)
– A Couple of Florets of Broccoli roughly chopped
– ½ Cup of Roughly Chopped Dill
-1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
-1 table spoon onion powder
– Sheet of Puff Pastry (Store Bought)
Method:
-pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
-sautee onions and fennel with butter under super low heat until caramelized.
-sprinkle flour over fennel and onions making sure there is enough fat to absorb the flour, If not, then add more butter!
*adding the flour to any fat is known as a roux. This basically is how you’re going to get a thick creamy and thick base for your filing.
-after the flour is mixed with the butter slowly add the chicken stock and while whisking to avoid lumps.
-add cream and allow sauce to get thick, about 5 minutes.
-season with salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder.
-add remaining ingredients: pulled chicken, kale, broccoli dill and lima beans.
-coat everything in thick sauce and transfer into ovenproof ramekins.
-divide the pastry into two and about ½ inch larger than the ramekin
-brush the outside edges of ramekin with some cream then place the dough on top.
-crimp the pastry to fold over the side and press so that it sticks.
-brush the top of the pastry with remaining cream and bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and filing is super hot.
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