Some days you just wake up with a craving.  Today, mine was for chicken pie.  I grew up on those individual frozen pot pies as a kid.  And, even though they were processed within an inch of their life, I really liked them.  So, the love of pot pies has been with me for a long time.  And, now I can make mine from scratch and really enjoy the flavors of fresh vegetables and freshly cooked chicken.  I also love creating fun pie crust patterns. I’ll dedicate a video to that one day soon…but for now, I just describe the top layer of this pie as a single layer crust.

Chicken Pie
makes one 9” pie, 8 servings

Ingredients

Pie Crusts

2 1/4 cu All Purpose Flour
12 tbl Unsalted Butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
6 oz Cream Cheese, pulled into small marble size pieces

Chicken And Stock

4-5 lb Whole Chicken, rinsed and any giblets removed
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
3 gloves Garlic, peeled and smashed
2 lg Celery Stalks, roughly chopped
1 med Onion, roughly chopped

Filling

2 med Idaho Potatoes, peel and uniformly diced, yielding about 2 cups
2 med Carrots, sliced into small pieces, yielding about 1 cup
1 sm Onion, diced, yielding 1 cup
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 cu Butter
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 cu Flour
1 1/2 cu Chick Stock (from first step in the recipe)
3/4 cu Whole Milk
1 cu Frozen Peas
2 Hard Cooked Eggs, peeled and chopped

1 whisked egg, to egg wash the crust

Method

Make the crusts by placing the flour, butter, and cream cheese in a large food processor. Process until ingredients start to ball together. Removed and divide the mixture into two portions. Roll each into a ball and then flatten to about a 5” round. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Prepare the chicken by placing it into a large stock pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken by about 4-5”. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, onion and carrots. Bring mixture to a boil. Then, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. After an hour, carefully transfer chicken to a bowl to cool. Strain the stock and set it aside. You’ll be using it for two additional steps.

Remove one of pie crusts from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about a 12” circle. Transfer the dough to your pie pan and press it into the bottom and sides allowing the excess to extend beyond the lip of the pan. Return the crust and pan to the refrigerator.

Fill a large saucepan with about 4 cups of chicken stock from the first step. Add the carrots and potatoes and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a high simmer and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the vegetables. Set them aside.

Remove bones and skin from chicken. Dice the meat into medium sized cubes. You’ll only need 4 cups of chicken. If there’s any remainder, save it for sandwiches or another dish.

Place 1/2 cup of butter and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of flour and stir mixture for an additional 5 minutes as it thickens. Add chicken and the vegetables and stir to combine. Add the 1 1/2 cup chicken stock and 3/4 cup of milk and stir. Add salt, pepper and oregano and continue to stir until mixture thickens further, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add peas and cooked eggs. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preference.  Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the first pie crust from the refrigerator. Pour filing into the crust and pack it down, mounding slightly in the center if necessary. Set aside.

Roll out the second pie crust to about an 11” circle. Transfer the crust onto the top of the pie. Seal the top and bottom crust together by crimping the edges. Cut a few small holes in the top of the crust to vent steam. Alternatively, you can create the pattern of your choice for the top of the pie, like a lattice work or herringbone pattern. You can also use pastry stamps to further decorate the top.

Whisk an egg and bush a light layer over the top of the crust with a pastry brush.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the pie to rest and set for about 15 minutes before slicing.