the fancy chicken pot pie of goodness.

so, after a little bit of a hiatus in food blogging, decided to take it up once again since i've got more time on my hands to click and cook. :) and what do you get when you have potatoes that's about to go bad, onions that are in the same state, and a can of mushrooms that's nearing it's expiration date, and pastry dough that's been in the fridge for a week? well, you make a pot pie of course! :D



ta-daaa! the chicken pot pie of fancy goodness!!
fancy, ain't it? well, since i had a square pan instead of a round one, decided to do a little bit of food artistry with the bit of dough that was cut from the ends. wahahahaaa, who says art classes don't pay off?! ;) got the recipe from The Duo Dishes and made some tweaks since i didn't have a couple of spices nor the amount of people that the recipe called for.

one thing i've learned tho...if using herbs de provence as a seasoning, less is good otherwise everything gets seasoned in thyme. not that that's a bad thing. i like thyme. in fact, i like lots of thyme in my stuffing. but in other dishes, it's just a tad bit no bueno. :/

ugh...horrible plating. XP

and the verdict? wish it were a little more gooey and creamy. it got a little dry during the cooking process. it wasn't bad but next time, definitely going to add more liquid. and less herbs. but it was good, just not what i was expecting. *sigh* up next? who knows! ;D

 
Cheddar Chicken Pot Pie
(from The Duo Dishes)

2 white potatoes, parboiled and cubed
2 red potatoes, parboiled and cubed
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped
2 cups frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken broth, warm
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon basil, minced
1 teaspoon mint, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1/2 tablespoon dill, minced
2 bay leaves, whole
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (skipped this, no cheese! D':)
Zest of 1 lemon, minced
6-7 chicken breast tenderloins
2 pie crusts (frozen or prepared) (i used ready-made.)

Perfect Pie Crust
(from Simply Recipes)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 cup Crisco, butter flavor
6-8 tablespoons ice water
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1. Start with crust. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add chilled butter and combine with a pastry blender.

2. Add shortening and combine to cut into flour and butter mixture. Mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.

3. Slowly add ice water by tablespoons. Mix well after each addition until dough begins to stick together.

4. Place dough on a flat surface and divide into 2 even pieces. Roll into balls, dust lightly with flour and wrap in plastic. Place in fridge for at least an hour.

5. As dough chills, drop chicken tenders into boiling water. Cook until no longer pink inside, approximately 2-4 minutes. Set aside in a small bowl. When cool, tear into pieces–a mixture of large and small.

6. In a deep, wide skillet, melt butter and oil. Add garlic, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and bay leaves. Cook until carrots have softened a bit but aren’t mushy, approximately 10 minutes. Pour in chicken broth.

7. Mix cornstarch and flour into milk. Mix well. Add to cooking vegetables. Toss in peas.

8. Cook until mixture begins to thicken, approximately 8-10 minutes. Stir in remaining herbs, spices, chicken and half of the cheese.

9. Remove bay leaves and take off heat. Allow to cool.

10. As chicken filling cools, take dough out of fridge and roll one ball for bottom half of crust. Drop in 9-inch pie dish and trim edges. Place into fridge as you roll out second piece of dough for top of crust.

11. Pull out crust and pour chicken filling into dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with top crust and trim edges a bit. Roll top crust edges over bottom crust. Press together all around with a fork. Cut slits into top crust.*

12. Whisk egg and milk together. Brush over top crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8

*Author's Note: This is totally a make in advance meal. Let the filling cool completely (pop into the fridge to speed that up and keep crust in fridge as well). Pour filling into bottom crust, top with upper crust, cut slits and keep in fridge until ready to cook. Brush with egg wash and bake.