Chicken Pot Pie

At long last, here it is - chicken pot pie - just in time for...next winter.  Chicken pot pie seems like soul food to me, so naturally I listened to the most soulful artist I know - Al Green.  Alas, I was so enraptured by his smooth voice that I forgot that I'm actually supposed to post my recipes on this blog.

I made up this recipe as I went along (so I am working out some kinks as I write this post).  The day before I made this, I prepared 2 chicken breasts as described below.  Then I started with a roux that consisted of 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour.



I melted the butter over low heat, then added the flour and whisked.  Then I used about a cup of chicken stock to thin the roux into a gravy.  I didn't think of it, but I should have also added 2 tablespoons of milk or half and half.  I continued whisking and added a dash of salt and several dashes of white pepper.

I kept that simmering over low heat, stirring occassionally, while I chopped 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and half of a white onion.

Next, I diced 2 chicken breasts that I cooked the previous day (drizzling them with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and baking them at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes).  I added the chicken, 1/4 cup of frozen peas, and the chopped veggies to the gravy and mixed.

I set this aside while I rolled out my tried-and-true pie crust, lined the bottom of two individual pie dishes with it, added the filling, and covered the top. 

Much to my surprise, I made exactly enough filling for two individual pies, so I was like:

Next, I pinched the edges shut and trimmed the excess dough, then brushed the top with egg whites and sprinkled the pies with salt.

Finally, I baked it at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, until the top was golden brown and the filling was bubbly. 

Chicken Pot Pie (makes 2 individual pies)

2 chicken breasts or three thighs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons half and half or milk
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Half of a white or yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
Tried and True pie crust
1 egg, separated
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Drizzle chicken with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until cooked through.  Set aside to cool.  Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and whisk in flour.  Add chicken stock as you continue to whisk, then add half and half or milk.  Allow gravy to simmer, stirring occassionally while you dice the carrot, celery, onion, and chicken.  Add the diced vegetables, chicken, and peas to the gravy and mix.  Set aside.  Roll out pie crust and line 2 individual pie pans with it.  Pour in filling, cover with the top crust and pinch the edges.  Vent the top crust with a knife or fork.  Brush the top with egg whites and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

Best served piping hot with an ice cold beer. 

How-to Tuesday: How to Separate Eggs

I'm really slacking on my how-to Tuesday posts, so here, at long last, is a new one.  I recently had to explain to my brother over the phone how to separate eggs, and I realized that it's a bit difficult to describe verbally.  So here is a visual tutorial on how to separate eggs.  Basically, you break an egg in half and pass the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until the sticky, snot-like whites have fallen into a bowl and all that is left in the shell is the yolk.   Getting the hang of this takes some practice (and even with years of practice, my technique is not refined), but there is no need to buy a special tool in order to separate eggs.