World's Best Chicken Pot Pie

I am pleased as punch to share with you that I fed my family three dinners this week using one chicken.  First dinner:  Moistest roasted chicken ever.  Read about it HERE.  Second dinner:  Chicken soup, HERE.  Third dinner: Our personal favorite, the world's best chicken pot pie!  My beloved described it as being out of this world!   

 
Keep in mind that this is one of those clean-out-the-refrigerator types of recipes that we all love.  Pretty much whatever you have, goes.  For instance, I still had a leek from when I made pumpkin risotto with goat cheese.  I had never added leeks to chicken pot pie, but thought, "Why not?"  It was great!

You can add most any combination of diced, sliced and chopped fresh vegetables.  And, if you are in a real time crunch (running to soccer, track, band, whatever), you can use canned mixed veggies.  Rinse the heck out of them first because they are so full of sodium that it's not even funny.

Here are examples of vegetables that go nicely in a chicken pot pie:  onions, shallots, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes (red, white, whatever - peeled or unpeeled), carrots, celery, even corn (the corn mention's for you, Delana), frozen green peas, etc.  Yank open that veggie drawer in your fridge and go crazy!  You want to end up with about four cups of WASHED cut up veggies.  

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pie crust
• 7 Tbsp. Butter, divided (2 to cook veggies, and 5 for the sauce) 
• 4 cups of diced, chopped sliced vegetables (see list in paragraph above) 
• 1 smidgen of garlic (if you like garlic a lot, add more smidgens)
• 5 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
• 1/4 cup white wine (do not fear - all of the alcohol burns off and leaves a nice flavor - USE IT!)
• 1 Tbsp. tarragon (If you don't have any, buy it.  This recipe's deliciousness depends on it)
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 3 to 4 cups of leftover cooked chicken, diced/cubed (skin and icky parts removed)
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. water

 
DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
• Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add vegetables and garlic.  Stir, stir, stir.  Cook 7 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl for later use.
• Melt remaining 5 Tbsp. over low heat.  Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes.  You want to prevent it from burning.  Low heat, stir, stir, stir.  (You're making a roux, which is the thickening agent in three of the mother sauces of classical French cooking).
• Add broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened
• Add half and half and cook over low heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in tarragon, salt and pepper, and simmer 1 minute
• Add chicken and vegetables.  Stir to fully incorporate.
• Pour into deep pie pan or casserole.  I used a 2.5 liter casserole dish as I was concerned it would overflow in my oven.  Place pan/dish on cookie sheet to prevent oven spillage mess.
• Cover with crust.  Pinch edges.  Brush egg wash (beaten egg white and 1 Tbsp. of water) over entire crust, including edges.  Cut vents in crust.
• Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Allow to rest as long as you can stand it (+/- 5 minutes in our house).   

Dig in and enjoy!  If you try it and you like it, give me a shout!


~Merrill ♥