Chicken Pie for the Masses (25- 7# pies)

This is a great chicken pie to make for large suppers or to make as a fundraiser. The prep. time is based on having at least four cooks working on this project

• Ready In: 7 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 300
• Yields: 25 pies

Ingredients

• 15  lbs chicken, skinned and cut into pieces
• 40  lbs chicken breasts, bone-in and skinned
• 50  lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (Yukon Gold or Sheprody)
• 25  lbs  frozen peas
• 12  lbs onions, peeled and chopped
• 30  lbs carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 1⁄2 lb salt
• 2 1⁄2 ounces pepper
• 2 1⁄2 ounces onion powder
•  flour (and water slurry to thicken gravy)

• Crust

• 10  lbs flour
• 6  lbs  lard
•  salt
• 6  eggs

Directions

1. In a large pot or pressure cooker (Follow your manufactures instructions) cook whole chicken pieces until the meat falls off the bone (Cook these chicken pieces with half the onions, seasoned w/ S& P, include cage but w/out giblets, etc. ).
2. Save liquid for gravy.
3. Cool meat thoroughly and pick chicken from bones.
4. Boil chicken breasts and almost all the remaining onion (reserve 1 1/2 cup onion for gravy) in boiling water.
5. Season w/ S& P.
6. Save liquid.
7. Cool thoroughly and pick meat from bones.
8. Cook carrots and potatoes in chicken breast liquid until tender.
9. Season w/ S& P.
10. Remove veggies from liquid& cool them completely.
11. Reduce chicken/vegetable liquid by half.
12. Skim all fat from whole chicken broth.
13. Add to vegetable liquid.
14. Add remaining onions and bring to a slow boil.
15. Season w/ S& P plus add onion powder.
16. Prepared a gallon of flour/water gravy slurry.
17. Slowly whisk in and cook until gravy is thick.
18. Cool completely.
19. When all ingredients are cooled completely, set out 25 foil pans (9x13x2).
20. Distribute chicken, potatoes and carrots among all the pans.
21. Add frozen peas on top.
22. Stir a bit.
23. Cover each w/ gravy and cover w/ tin foil.
24. Chill thoroughly (At this point you can freeze these pies and cover w/ crust later. I do this when using this recipe for fund raising).
25. Crust: In six bowls make the following: 5 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 lb lard, 1 egg, and water.
26. Mix first three ingredients until the texture resembles corn meal.
27. Beat one egg in a 1 cup measuring cup.
28. Fill cup with water to make 1 full cup.
29. Mix well, chill for 15 minutes.
30. Roll out.
31. Each batch will make approximately 4 crusts for the 9 x13 pies.
32. Cover chilled chicken pies with crust, crimp and cut vents with knife.
33. Bake fresh pies at 350 F for 45 mininues plus or until crust is golden and chicken bubbling (This crust can be placed on frozen chicken mixture and be refrozen).
34. Bake frozen pies for 70 minutes plus until crust is golden and chicken bubbling.
35. PLEASE make sure you have ample refrigeration room.
36. Take care to chill these ingredients well in small batches in shallow pans.
37. If you try to mix hot ingredients and put in the fridge, they will start to sour.
38. I use clean frozen gallon jugs to make sure internal temp of the containers is cooled at the same rate at external temp.