Chicken Pot Pie

I was so inspired to find a good Chicken Pot Pie recipe after Seth brought home delicious leftovers from one of his events.

Of course I found the perfect recipe inside of the my "The New Best Recipe" book!

First, make the Buttermilk Biscuit Topping...

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup plain cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, quartered lengthwise into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

-Pulse the dry ingreditents together in a food processor. Add the butter pieces and blend. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir with a fork until the dough gathers into moist clumps. Put the dough in the fridge (for up to 2 hours) while you make the Chicken Pot Pie.



Chicken Pot Pie
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, chopped fine
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 small celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/3 inch thick
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Adjust an oven rack tot he lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400˚. Put the chicken and broth in a small Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Cover, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the chicken is just done, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl, reserving the broth in a measuring cup.

Increase the heat to medium-high and heat the oil in the now-empty pan. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. While the veggies are sauteing, cut the meat into bite size pieces. Transfer the veggies to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.



Heat the butter over medium heat in the again-empty pan. When the foaming subsides, add the flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved chicken broth, the milk, any accumulated chicken juices, and the thyme. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer until the sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the sherry.

Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peas and parsley. Adjust the seasonings. Pour the mixture into a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Top with desired pastry (I prefer the buttermilk biscuit but Seth wants me to try whole wheat next time).

I decided to add my own little love to the pot pie!




Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Serve it hot!

We paired the pie with a delicious bottle of 2006 Wilderotter Cabernet Sauvignon which is said to be "Violet, smoky, toasty, vanilla, tobacco, spicy, grippy, leathery, vivid blackberry and cherry lingers with tannins giving way to fruity then, tobacco and back – complex and inviting" which is exactly as I like it. It is a $32ish bottle of wine and worth every penny!











Now just make sure you have great friends to enjoy it with! We had the Wiley's over for a game night of Quench! The guys won 4 to 3 but we will continue where we left off next time!

KSW