Cheddar Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Oct 10, 2011 by Lauren

Who knew that making a pretty simple chicken pot pie could turn out to make me be so crazy?  This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but most of them are things you already have in your pantry/refrigerator.  Or at least THINK you have….

Sometimes when I cook, I think monkeys would make fewer stupid mistakes.

I purchased all the ingredients this week that I didn’t already have.  Then I go to make the filling for the pot pie, and cannot find the stupid mushrooms anywhere.  I searched the fridge, three times.  I even dug through the back of the SUV, thinking maybe they fell out of the bag.  I finally called Adam to make sure he remembered me buying them, in case I’d totally succumbed to “mommy brain” and only THOUGHT about purchasing them, then didn’t actually do it.  He remembered them being in the cart, but didn’t remember seeing them after that.  Great.  I wasn’t going to go back to the store, so I just made the filling without mushrooms.  Who cares?  Two days after making the pot pie, I found the mushrooms.  On the top shelf of the refrigerator (you know, the one I searched three times?), right in the front.  Ugh.

Then, I had the crust all rolled out.  It was truly beautiful.  And as I’m sitting there admiring my handiwork, thinking it wasn’t as hard/as much work as I’d originally imagined…I noticed the pulled chicken sitting NEXT TO the pot pie. Not IN the pot pie.  F!!!!!!!!!!  After I peeled back the crust, shoved the chicken in as well as I could, and put the crust dough back down, it looked like a medical school experiment.

Luckily, this is the most delicious pot pie I’ve ever eaten.  You really need to try it! 🙂  See below for the full detailed recipe.

 

I should note that I reduced the amt. of celery by half, because I cannot STAND celery.  It is the most foul vegetable out there.  The original recipe also calls for Crisco, which I also find disgusting and, in most cases, butter is a perfectly fine substitute.

 

Here is the recipe I’ve been talking about!  Cheddar Crust Chicken Pot Pie.  I’ve adapted it from Food Network Magazine.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 stick cold butter, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

6 tbsp. cold butter

 

Filling:

1 (3-4 lb.) rotisserie chicken

3 cups chicken broth

5 tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped

5 tsp. fresh chopped thyme (or 3 tsp. dried thyme)

3 stalks celery, chopped

6 carrots, chopped

Kosher salt

1/2 lb. mushrooms sliced

7 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Fresh ground pepper

 

Directions:

1. Make the crust.  Pulse the flour, fine salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Add the cheese and butter; pulse until the butter is in pea-size bits. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse until the dough just starts to come together. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Discard the chicken skin and shred the meat; set aside. Put the bones in a pot and add the chicken broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the broth and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, thyme, celery, carrots and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring, until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cook until soft, about 6 more minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the wine; cook until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth, cream and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley, shredded chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a 3-to-4-quart baking dish.

4. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until slightly larger than the baking dish. Drape the dough over the filling, press it against the inside of the dish and trim. Brush with cream, then cut a few slits in the top. Put on a baking sheet; bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.