Chicken Pie

A friend of mine was downsizing her home, moving into an apartment and she gave me a book by John Hadamuscin entitled Simple Pleasures, 101 Thoughts and Recipes for Savoring the Little Things in Life, where I discovered a recipe for chicken pie.

I love chicken pie. It’s great comfort food on a cold, winter day. Since those days are just around the corner, yes, I know you don’t want to hear that, this recipe is fast, relatively speaking, easy and delicious.

I made it the other day and unfortunately, it didn’t last very long and as a consequence I didn’t take any photos; rest assured I will be making it again very soon it’s that good.

Grandma Wynn’s Chicken Pie

Double pastry crust for a 9-inch pie
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used 3 cups and that was plenty)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup peeled pearl onions
¼ cup parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt, and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with half the pastry dough.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mushrooms, and chopped onion. Sauté until the mushrooms are browned and the onion is golden, 7-10 minutes. Slowly add the flour, stirring until it is all absorbed. Gradually stir in the milk and chicken stock, and continue cooking a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

Stir the chicken, peas, carrots, pearl onions, and herbs into the pan; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared pan, top with the remaining crust, and crimp the edges. Cut a few slits into the top crust to allow seam to escape during baking. Bake until the crust is nicely browned, 40-45 minutes. Serve hot. After baking, let the pie sit for at least 15-20 minutes. Serves 6-8.

NOTES: I marinated and grilled the chicken. The flavor of the marinade enhanced the pie’s flavor.

I had two issues with the pie, which I can rectify. The bottom crust was soggy and like paste. The next time I will bake the bottom crust before filling. The sauce wasn’t thick enough. I think that was due to the mushrooms so I will cook them longer making sure all the moisture is out of them.

So, as Julia Child always said, Bon Appétit.

Namaste
Chris