Creamy warm sauce filled with chicken and crisp vegetables surrounded by a crispy flaky pastry. This is a hearty dish perfect for cool fall days and winter evenings. The dish is generously sized and will serve 8 people with a vegetable on the side. Or, if your sons eat like mine did when they were teenagers, maybe it will serve 6.
Pastry for the Pie
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup shortening
12-15 tablespoons of water
There are 2 methods for making the crust: Using a food processor or Using a pastry cutter. I prefer the food processor method, but this recipe is too large to process in one batch so…Divide the flour & salt into two bowls. Empty one of the bowls into the food processer. Cut ½ cup of the shortening into 1-inch cubes and put it into the flour mixture. Pulse the mix until it looks like cornmeal. Then add ½ of the water a little at a time until it starts to form a ball. You may not need all the water. Empty the dough onto a floured surface and knead it lightly to form a log. Process the second batch in the same way. You will need more dough for the bottom of the pie, so divide the dough into one log that’s about ⅔ of the total and the other log about ⅓ of the total. Wrap each log in saran wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Filling
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed, about 4 cups
1 ½ cups sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
⅔ cup unsalted butter
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups chicken stock
1 ⅓ cup milk
Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Whisk in the flour and salt and let them bubble with the butter for a couple of minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and whisk over medium heat until it thickens. Add the milk and let come back to a slow boil. Remove from heat and add the chicken and raw carrots and celery. The raw vegetables will be crisp-tender when the pie is done.
Combine the Pastry and Filling
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll out the bottom crust using a tape measure to be sure you can cover the bottom and up the sides of the dish. I use a casserole measuring 8x11x2 ½”, so I have to roll the dough to 13×15, which is big! Use the rolling pin to transfer the crust to the casserole. Then, roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the casserole. By that time, the filling should have cooled a bit. Pour it into the bottom crust and top with the upper crust. Crimp the edges and cut several vent holes in the top.
Bake at 400° for about 1 hour or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Let the pie rest for about 15 minutes and serve.
Recipe by Mary