CHICKEN POT PIES WITH HERB BISCUIT TOPS
Source of Recipe
Anne Willan’s Look & Cook Chicken Classics
Recipe Introduction
This is an easy recipe – even though it may look long. That’s because I have written it in a careful, step-by-step way, and that just takes up a lot of space! This recipe is, of course, a wonderful way to use up leftover cooked chicken, and extra carrots, onions and celery that may be at hand. It is even likely that all of the ingredients may be already in your pantry or refrigerator! Chicken pot pies are terrific family meals and excellent cold-weather casual suppers for company – and a single-pie version is also a good football-watching dish. The filling can be made ahead, and the biscuit dough takes only minutes to mix, pat out, and place on top.
SERVES 4-6 (DEPENDING ON SIZE OF INDIVIDUAL POT-PIE DISHES) OR MAKE ONE LARGE PIE (SEE “VARIATION” FOLLOWING RECIPE) ALSO SERVING 4-6
List of Ingredients
For the pot pie filling:
3 medium-size carrots – peeled and sliced thin
3 celery stalks – trimmed and sliced thin
3 large potatoes (total weight about 1 ½ pounds)
1 quart (4 cups), chicken stock
1 cup, fresh peas (see *Note below if using frozen)
1 whole cooked chicken (weighing about 4 pounds)
OR: 1 pound (a generous 2 cups), cooked chicken – bones and skin removed (weighed or measured after removing bones and skin)
1 medium-size onion – chopped small
1 small bunch, parsley - chopped
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons), butter
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons), flour
3/4 cup, heavy cream
ground nutmeg to taste
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the herb biscuit topping:
2 cups, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon, baking powder
1 teaspoon, salt
1/4 cup, butter
1/4 cup, milk – plus more, if needed
1 small bunch, parsley – chopped
*NOTE: you may substitute or combine the chopped parsley with other chopped *herbs, such as chervil or chives, or other savory herbs to taste
1 egg (for egg wash to brush over before baking) Recipe
TO MAKE THE POT-PIE FILLING:
After peeling and slicing the carrots, slicing the celery, and chopping the parsley and onions, peel the potatoes and slice them lengthwise. Stack the slices and cut them into strips - as uniform in size as possible, then gather the strips and slice them crosswise to produce a medium dice (medium-size cubes).
In a large saucepan, heat the stock to boiling. Add the carrots, potatoes and celery (note – do not add the onions or parsley at this time), reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the peas and continue simmering until the vegetables are tender – about 5 minutes. [*Note: if using frozen peas, defrost them by running cold water over them in a colander, tossing them often; then add them at the end of cooking the other vegetables – they are already cooked.]
Drain the vegetables in a colander or strainer set over a bowl – RESERVING THE BROTH.
If using a whole cooked chicken, remove the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and any gristle. Cut or tear the meat into slivers, place in a bowl and set aside. If using cooked chicken pieces, simply remove any skin and bones (if cooked with those) and tear or cut into slivers. Set aside as above.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft but not brown – about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and continue to cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups of the reserved broth, and heat, whisking, until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Simmer 2 minutes, then add cream and a pinch of nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon). Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken, add the cooked vegetables and the chopped parsley, and mix gently to combine.
TO MAKE THE HERB BISCUIT TOPPPING:
Sift the flour, along with the baking powder and salt, into a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add the butter, and cut it into pieces using regular table knives (one in each hand). Mix the butter and flour mixture together, then rub this mixture with your fingertips until it forms fine crumbs. Lift the pieces as you crumble them to make a light mixture, rather than a paste. Add the chopped parsley (and/or other herbs, if using).
Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, and add the milk. Cut in the milk quickly with the table knives, to form coarse crumbs. Add a little more milk if the mixture seems too dry, you need just enough to bind the mixture.
Mix the dough with your fingers just until it comes together. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently for a few seconds until smooth. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH, OR IT WILL BECOME TOUGH INSTEAD OF LIGHT AND TENDER. Pat out the dough to about ½-inch thickness without stretching it, then cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. Collect and pat out the trimmings and cut them in the same way, until you have made 4-6 rounds.
TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE POT PIES:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Divide the filling among 4-6 individual (ovenproof) pot pie dishes, soup bowls or casseroles. Place a biscuit round on top of each pie. Beat the egg with ½ teaspoon of salt and brush the biscuits with this “egg wash” glaze. Bake the pies for 15 minutes – then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking until the crust is brown and the filling is hot – 7-10 minutes.
Variations:
VARIATION: To make one large pot pie, prepare the filling as directed, but spoon it into one large baking dish, instead of individual dishes. Pat out the dough as directed, and cut into 8 rounds, each about 2 1/2 inches in diameter (a bit smaller than the rounds needed for individual pot pies). Arrange the rounds on top of the filling, brush with egg wash, and bake for 15 minutes at 425, then about 20-25 minutes at 350. [Note: You may eliminate the chopped parsley and/or herbs from the biscuit dough if desired.]
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