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Bama's Chicken Pot Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Grit" by Kelsey Barnard Clark


Recipe Introduction

"After a few months of dating my now-husband, I decided it was time to let him meet my close-knit group of childhood friends. Their opinions were important. We met at the local oyster bar for dozens on the half shell, cold beer, and chili dogs. After the first few pints, we all loosened up, and I asked my favorite question: If you were on death row, what would be your last meal? We took turns sharing our deepest cravings, and then came Deavours's turn. Over the course of our blossoming courtship, I'd made countless chef-worthy meals ranging from champagne and sushi to homemade ravioli and chocolate soufflés. I was no fool that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and by God was I gonna keep his full with the finest feasts he'd ever had. Whispers and smirks were passed around the table. How could he possibly choose? Would it be the crawfish boil Kelsey did last week? Or maybe the salt-crusted snapper she caught and cooked that night? He took a sip of his beer and proudly announced that his mom's store-bought crust, chicken pot pie was his all-time favorite meal. Crickets. Signals for more drinks. Checks, please! Miraculously, I still married this guy. Today it's a favorite family joke, and one of our chickens goes by the name Pot Pie. I even made a fancied-up version of this dish in honor of Deavours during a memory challenge on Top Chef. This recipe is passed down from my mother-in-law—affectionately known as "Bama"—by way of her mother. My favorite part of her recipe is the unusual addition of boiled eggs. The eggs add a decadent, buttery layer and a velvety texture. It is wholesome, comforting, and, well, easy as pie."

List of Ingredients

For the filling:
â—¦ 2 whole roasted chickens or store-bought rotisserie chickens in a pinch
â—¦ 1 cup diced carrots
â—¦ One 10 ¾-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
â—¦ 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon white pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
â—¦ 4 eggs, boiled and diced
â—¦ 1 cup frozen peas
â—¦ 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

For the crust:
â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon sugar
â—¦ ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, diced, plus more for greasing the dish
â—¦ ½ cup ice water
â—¦ 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
â—¦ Coarse salt


Recipe

To make the filling:
Pull off all the chicken meat and place it in a bowl. Set aside. Blanch the carrots by submerging them in boiling water for 2 minutes, then immediately plunging them into ice water. In a large bowl, whisk together the mushroom soup, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and nutmeg. Add the chicken, eggs, carrots, peas, and parsley. Mix together to coat. Set the bowl aside while you take care of the dough.

To make the crust:
Dust a work surface with flour. In a food processor, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter is the size of frozen peas. Continuing to pulse, add the ice water and process only until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on the floured surface to an 11 by 15-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick, so that it's about 2 inches larger than the casserole dish you're using, giving space for the dough to overlay.

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Pour the filling into the buttered dish, then carefully lay the dough over the filling, allowing it to fold over the sides of the dish. Using kitchen shears, trim the dough around the sides, making it as uniform as possible to promote even baking. Gently press the dough against the sides of the dish to make it stick. Brush the dough with the egg wash and use the tip of a sharp knife to make three slits in the center. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Place the casserole dish on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is hot and bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 10 servings