Hearty Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie

I love a good, hearty, saucy, flaky pot pie when the weather turns cold.

I’m not kidding when I tell you that I have made pie 5 times in the last week. Caramel apple hand pies(twice! They’re amazing and I’m sharing the recipe later this week!), cherry pie, and this chicken pot pie, which we’ve had twice. It really is that good.

I love using chicken thighs in dishes like this, slow cooked with broth and herbs so that they are fall off the bone tender and juicy. The cooking juices are used to make the sauce, so it is full of flavor.

This pie takes no shortcuts and it shows. Every bit is made from scratch and it is a beautiful thing.

OH.

The pie crust is incredible, by the way.

One bite and I promise you will never use another recipe again.

I use this pie crust for every kind of pie, savory or sweet.

The secret? Handling it as little as possible. The colder your dough stays, and the less you have to touch and manipulate it, the flakier it will be. Not over-working it allows it to be incredibly tender, as well.

Remember that and you will put out flawless pastries every time.

Hearty Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie

 

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Serves: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken Thighs(boneless, if you prefer, but I like to keep it in to add flavor to the broth!)
• 4 C. Chicken Broth
• 1 sprig Thyme
• 1 sprig Rosemary
• 2 dashes Pepper(freshly ground, if you can!)
• 1 t. Coarse Salt
• 4 T. Butter
• 1 Red Onion, diced(large)
• 1 lb. Carrots, peeled and diced small
• 3 medium Red Potatoes, diced small
• 1 lb. Mushrooms, cut in half and then thickly sliced
• 1 T. chopped Fresh Rosemary
• 1 T. chopped Fresh Thyme
• ⅓ C. Flour
• 3 C. Chicken Broth(reserved from cooking juices)
• ½ C. Heavy Cream
• White Pepper to taste
• Kosher Salt to taste
• 1½ C. Flour
• 1 t. Sugar
• ½ t. Salt
• ⅛ t. Baking Powder
• 5½ T. Shortening, chilled
• 4½ T. Butter, chilled
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 t. White Vinegar
• ½ C. Cold Water
• 2-3 Ice Cubes
• 1 egg white
• 2 T. Milk

Instructions

1. FOR THE CHICKEN:Place the chicken thighs, chicken broth, thyme and rosemary sprigs, salt, and pepper in a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours. Allow to cool slightly and then remove the bones and cartilage. Shred the chicken just slightly and set aside. Strain the broth in the base of the crock pot and set aside as well.
2. FOR THE PIE FILLING: Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium/high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and potato, along with a pinch or two of kosher salt, and saute 7-9 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium if the vegetables brown too quickly(however a little color development is fine!).
3. Add the chopped herbs and mushrooms to the vegetables and saute for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the flour to the vegetables, stirring to coat and allow to cook for 1 minutes.
5. Add 1 C. of the reserved chicken broth to the vegetables and stir well until it thickens and the sauce is smooth. Add the remaining 2 C. broth and stir until combined and smooth. Allow the filling to simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the carrots and potatoes are very tender.
6. Add the cream to the filling. Check the seasonings and add more salt and pepper as needed.
7. Add the chicken into the filling and stir very gently, evenly distributing the chicken through the sauce(don't stir too much or the chicken will shred into strings).
8. Set the filling aside to cool slightly while you make the crust.
9. FOR THE CRUST: Place the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Place the lid on and pulse the mixture a few times to blend.
10. Add the butter and shortening to the crust, 1 T. at a time, pulsing a few times with each addition(don't run the processor consistently). When the butter and shortening are added, pulse a few times more, or until the butter is cut down to pea sized pieces.
11. Mix together the cold water, vinegar, egg yolk, and ice cubes. Let chill for a minute or two. Add 3½-4 T. of the mixture to the dough 1 T. at a time, pulsing a few times after each addition until the dough comes together, but is not too wet. Chill immediately while you prepare to roll out the dough.
12. Grease a large pie dish and set aside.
13. Place a sheet of waxed paper on your work surface. Place half the dough on the waxed paper and press down into a disc shape. Place another sheet of waxed paper on top of the dough and roll out with a rolling pin until the dough is 1" wider in diameter than your pie dish.
14. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper from the dough and turn it over on top of your pie dish. Gently peel away the remaining sheet of waxed paper and carefully press the dough down into the dish. There should still be a bit of dough hanging over the edge of the pie dish.
15. Pour the pie filling into the crust, piling it higher in the center so that it forms a mound(you may have a little filling left over. Take care not to pile too high or fill too full).
16. Roll out the remaining dough in between sheets of waxed paper so that it is again 1" wider than the diameter of your dish. Remove the top sheet of paper and turn the dough gently over on top of the filling. Carefully remove the remaining paper.
17. Seal the edges of the dough all the way around the pie and then crimp the edges, if desired. You can also press the tines of a fork all the way around the edges of a pie to seal the dough.
18. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and milk. Brush over the top of the pie with a brush. Score the top of the pie 5-6 times to vent.
19. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the top of the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

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