The Pastry Queen's All Sold out Chicken Pot Pie

Chef SuzyQ's Note:

This is a FABULOUS recipe by The Pastry Queen, Rebecca Rather, from her cookbook "The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Cafe." She says she can never make enough of these wonderful pot pies to satisfy her loyal customers. After trying this recipe, I can certainly see why. PURE comfort food here! When fall comes, this is what you'll be craving. I usually take two days to put these together--stewing the chicken and sauteeing the vegetables on the first day; making the cream sauce and the crust the second day. Do not be intimidated by the crust! It's just a top crust and hangs over the side of the dish in a rustic, country fashion. Very, very easy to roll out and work with. Also, don't buy any special oven proof bowls for this recipe--I always make it in two 9" pie plates and it fills them nicely. I add about 10 minutes to the bake time, but watch carefully so they don't burn. This recipe is super flexible; feel free to add in your favorite vegetables. I always add carrots to mine--I love the sweetness they add--a perfect contrast to the savory flavor of the pie.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-12

Yield: 2.0 Pies

Filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large russet potato , peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 red bell pepper , diced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms , sliced
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 purchased cooked rotisserie chicken or 1 whole stewed chicken , cooled
• 8 ounces fresh green beans , cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package frozen peas (optional)

Cream Sauce

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock , preferably homemade
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce , such as Tabasco
• salt and fresh ground white pepper

Crust

• 1 cup chilled unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 10 ounces chilled cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
• 1 large egg (to wash the crust)

Directions:

1. To make the filling:.
2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and potato; sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and sauté about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the crushed red pepper and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. While the vegetables are sauteing, skin the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred the meat or cut into bite-size pieces. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl and add enough water to cover. Cover the dish and microwave on high power about 10 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain thoroughly. Stir the beans, peas and chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.
4. To make the cream sauce:.
5. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Add the cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and white pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine. Fill individual 1’/4-cup capacity oven-safe bowls three - quarters of the way to the top with the creamed chicken filling.
6. To make the crust:.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.
8. Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls—mine are about 4 inches across—and cut out dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[Chef #334014]

I'm a little (a lot) unsure of how many servings this makes. It says it serves 6-12, that it makes 2 pies, and that you're supposed to put the filling into individual bowls that hold 1 1/4 cups each. Which is it? Recipe looks great. There's a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through the cookbook this recipe came from: The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe