Comments on: Chicken Pot Pie: Fearless Friday

By: Keter

Keter — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:03:38 +0000

@Tara – I don’t see any reason why you can’t use a nondairy gravy as your base. Start with a roux of margarine or oil (maybe a little bacon grease, if that’s within the scope of your diet) and some sort of flour – toast the flour until lightly browned and fully integrated with the oil, then s-l-o-w-l-y start adding some seasoned chicken stock. The thicker the chicken stock is, the better – that means make your own or go for the top shelf organics. The roux should absorb the stock and thicken and then be useful for your pot pie. If in doubt, cool the gravy and see if it sets (gets thick/gelatinous). If it doesn’t, stir in a little cornstarch dissolved in water before pouring over your chicken and veggies and baking. HTH.

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:35:00 +0000

I like the biscuit version, too, but my husband prefers the pie crust version. Sometimes you just have to humor the spouses, right?

By: Tara

Tara — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:45:04 +0000

Is this something I can make with gravy rather than the becamel sauce? I can’t use dairy sauces (all white sauces, right?) because of lactose intolerance in the household.

Thanks!

By: Kat

Kat — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:27:42 +0000

#NOM! yummmy Heather, you’ve really outdone yourself! Now since you’ve overcome making this pot pie…I have been trying to make a very English type of pie – Steak Pie – its similar like your chicken but made steak, am not one to do things in the kitchen but i do love to cook (when the urge hits me) which is not often enough, just have too much stress of life lately…but that chicken pot pie – you make it sound so easy to do! I guess we should really give it a go..eh? YOU rock girlfriend!

By: Keter

Keter — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:53:11 +0000

When I make chicken pot pie, I make a biscuit dough instead of pie crust. I oil and flour (gluten-free: use rice, corn, or oat flour) the inside of a deep steel pot (one normally used on the stove, but can go into the oven as well – about 4 quart size), and press the dough onto the sides, about 1/3 inch thick.

Then I add my veggie and meat filling, which I pre-steam on the stove ahead of time to get the excess liquids to release so they won’t flood my pie. (Save this juice as a base for simmering other veggies later.) The veggies/chicken are best used hot, but you can start with refrigerated, just add more baking time.

Instead of making the white sauce separately, I just combine approximately equal parts of cold chicken stock and cream, a spoonful of melted bacon grease (you can omit or substitute oil or butter), and some corn starch or tapioca flour added to thicken. I also add my spices to this liquid, and pour it over the veggies and meat. Be careful not to use too much liquid. It took me some experimentation initially to get the liquid balance right.

Lastly, I top the pie with the rest of the biscuit dough (leave a quarter-sized hole open in the middle to let steam vent), brush with an egg white, and dust lightly with coarse salt. The pie bakes for about 1.5 hours at 325° F. Since the insides are pre-cooked, your gauge for doneness will be the biscuit dough. Once the top is set and browned, the pie is done.

If your oven runs hot or has uneven heating, set your pot on a wire rack atop a cookie sheet or large baking dish and drape the top of the pie loosely with a sheet of foil (remove near end of cooking to let the top brown).

Serve with a big spoon – plates or bowls will do. It comes out like a cross between chicken pot pie and chicken and dumplings!

BTW, I have made this in a crock pot before, but that was so long ago I don’t really remember the cooking time – I think it was about 2 hours on high. Prop the lid up to let the steam escape or it will be soggy. The top won’t brown, but will still taste good. The result is much more like chicken and dumplings.

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:18:20 +0000

oh, my fearless thing this week is going to be attempting to ferment my own sour pickles. My mom loves them and they are difficult to get in stores. Wish me luck!

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:17:27 +0000

I always make my pot pies with baking powder biscuits on top (do not ask me why I find cutting out the biscuits less onerous rolling out dough.) and use left over chickens or various other scraps. There’s no law saying it has to be one kind of meat! I figure its good peasant food, and have even done it with canned tuna (its super yummy!)

By: Stacy

Stacy — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:00:54 +0000

This looks good. I’ll try it soon.

Well, I have to say that my “fearlessness” is demonstrated by simply making new things, that’s obstacle enough for me to hurdle. So today I made Heather’s clam chowder. I’ve never made any clam chowder before, and have made very few soups or stews either. It was really good! My husband, whose favorite soup is clam chowder (although most of what he’s had came from cans), said it was probably the best he’d ever had–that’s a first for us–me making something he thought was the best he’d ever had. Well, it wasn’t my recipe, but I was happy all the same.

Thank you!

By: Judy Hamby

Judy Hamby — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:05:20 +0000

Beautiful pie!!!!

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:54:33 +0000

Debbie, If you haven’t already, invest in a meat thermometer and depend on that to figure out when you chicken is done. Err on the low side, normally 165, stop cooking at 160, process, and store immediately. Don’t err too low, you don’t want to provide any icky bacteria with a nice warm headstart, but you’ll essentially be reheating the chicken well over 165, so you’ll be killing bacteria at that time.
Usually I toss extra chicken breasts on the grill anytime I fire it up. I ALWAYS have a use for extra chicken. In fact extra is probably a misnomer, it’s just chicken that has not yet been consumed.