My First Attempt at Chicken Pot PieMy freezer had too much chicken in it. I was tired of the old standbys – roasted chicken and chicken salad – and I didn't have the energy for slow-smoking or grilling. What I did have was a craving for chicken pot pie.
With some great memories of restaurant versions to inspire me, I reached for an old hardback edition of "The Joy of Cooking," certain that it would point me in the right direction. The book provided a recipe for a "quick chicken pot pie," which suggested that a pre-made pie crust be filled with "creamed chicken" and covered with biscuit dough – or slices of bread, buttered on both sides. I also took a look at a recipe for chicken a la king. After reading through these ideas, I knew how to make the filling, and decided to use slices of homemade spicy cheese bread as a topping.
I sprinkled some vegetable oil in a roasting pan, put in six chicken thighs, and dusted them all over with some leftover chicken rub that I had in the fridge. I placed the pan in a 375-degree oven for one hour, and put 2 quarts of chicken stock in a pot and brought it to a boil.
When the chicken was done, I removed the pieces and poured off a few tablespoons of the drippings to use later when I sautéed the vegetables. I then de-glazed the pan with a half-cup of chicken stock, saving this tasty juice to make the sauce. I removed the skins from the thighs, but they were far too flavorful (with all the rub baked in!) to throw away, so I put them into the fridge, too, planning to chop them up and sauté them with the vegetables, too.
It was time to get the bread started. I pulled out my bread machine and its recipe book, threw what was needed into the baking pan, and pushed a couple of buttons. It was now 1 p.m.; the bread would be ready at 6. I was done, for now.
After a nice, long stint on the couch, I got to work. After heating the flavorful oil in a saucepan, I added a large onion, three stalks of celery, a green pepper, three carrots, three bay leaves, and the roasted chicken skins, chopped small. I didn't add any seasonings because between the oil, the drippings and the chicken skins, there were already a lot of spices. I sautéed these until the veggies were soft, and then added the de-glazed pan drippings, turning the heat up and simmering until it was reduced by half.
I added five medium potatoes, diced, along with about five cups of chicken stock, the six cooked thighs (de-boned and chopped) and a bag of frozen "soup" vegetables. I let this simmer for about 45 minutes, then tasted for seasoning. I added some salt and cayenne pepper, and then stirred in about a quarter-cup of half-and-half and let the mixture simmer another 15 minutes. Then, I removed it from the heat, and folded in about 1/2 cup each of chopped parsley and green onion.
I poured the whole thing into a casserole dish and sliced my now-done spicy cheese bread into six thick slices. I buttered both sides and arranged them on top of the casserole, and put it into a 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes. Then I turned on the broiler for about five minutes to brown the top (watching it closely), and voila – Chicken Pot Pie (with a little help from Joy of Cooking).
It portioned out easily – a generous slice of bread's worth per person – giving me dinner for two and leftovers for 4. Next time, I plan to add pearl onions and cover it with a sheet of puff pastry (although the spicy cheese bread was quite tasty).