flaky

i've had a nasty head cold for the past week so all i wanted was something warm, hearty, and filling. i was going to make chicken soup, but then my hubby suggested chicken pot pie. mmm...the thought of juicy morsels of tender chicken, steamy bits of potatoes, and savory veggies sandwiched between two layers of flaky pie dough...oh my, i was definitely in the mood. so i made chicken pot pie. for me, one of the most important parts is the crust. it must be flaky. it's taken me a few years to finally figure out how to guarantee a flaky crust every time, but i finally did it. the secret? ice cold water and frozen butter. viola. it doesn't get any flakier than that!

i don't have a fancy recipe for the filling- i use the same ingredients i use for chicken soup, but without the liquid portion. the filling can also be made the night before, if you're pressed for time during the day. 

chicken pot pie

for the filling-

two chicken breasts- roasted and shredded

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrots

2 cups diced potatoes, skins on

1 cup of broccoli florets

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1 tsp each of dried basil and thyme

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

in a large nonstick pan or wok, add the diced onion to cold olive oil. turn the burner to medium heat and season onions with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. saute until caramelized. add the carrots, season, and saute until carrots are soft. add potatoes and saute until potatoes are slightly caramelized. add the broccoli and chicken and dried herbs and 1/2 cup of water. mix together, cover, and lower the temperature to a simmer. the water will help to steam the potatoes and make them tender. taste and re-season if needed. continue simmering until the potatoes are soft- a fork will easily pierce the potatoes. sprinkle flour over the filling and gently mix. the flour will thicken the remaining liquid. taste and re-season if needed. remove from heat and cool while you make the crust.

for the crust-

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

pinch of salt

pinch of dried rosemary

1/4 tsp of baking powder

4-6 tablespoons of ice cold water

1 cup of frozen butter or margarine

in a food processor, pulse together flour, salt, rosemary, and baking powder. shred in frozen butter and pulse until the dough resembles rough cornmeal. add the water all at once and pulse until the dough just comes together. dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and combine with your hands. divide and shape dough into two discs, wrap with saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least half and hour. before rolling out the dough, remove dough from fridge and bring up to room temperature. 

assembly-

preheat oven to 400⁰F. roll out the bottom dough and place into pie pan. pour filling into the pie, roll out top pie crust and cover. shape the edges and make an "x" the center of the pie crust to allow steam to vent. brush the crust with an egg wash or olive oil. bake for 30- 40 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown.

there you have it- chicken pot pie. this picture was hard to take only because i was dying to eat the crust. it wouldn't even stay together for the picture because it was so flaky. oh my, was it ever delicious!

until next post- maggie