Chicken Pot Pie

My love affair with chicken pot pie began decades ago when my childhood riding coach would take me out to dinner at KFC at the end of a freezing cold day at the barn or we would stop there on the way home from a numbingly cold indoor horse show. Flaky crust, creamy potatoes, it would warm my bones.

I haven't had one from KFC in a really long time and I am not sure it would be as good as my memory is telling me it was. I don't want to spoil it so now I make my own. I have been evolving this recipe over the years and tonight I added a bit of dijon mustard and it was a game changer. The dijon added the tang to balance out the richness and it's just perfect.

What you need:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, chopped and deboned

1 large russet potato

1 small yellow onion

1 large carrot

1 stalk of celery

1/4 tsp each dried rosemary, parsley, thyme

3 tbsp flour

1/4 cup wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk or 1/2 and 1/2

2 tsp dijon

1 cup frozen peas

puff pastry or pie crust

First look at the package of crust if using a store bought one, bring it out to thaw if need be. (For this recipe I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry which needs to thaw for 30 minutes, if I'm being honest I much prefer Dufour but this is what I could find). Preheat the oven to the temperature for the crust. 400 is a safe bet.

Next prep your chicken and chop your vegetables. Chop the potato into small pieces and place in a pot with the chicken broth. Parboil the potatoes in the broth so they will finish cooking later in the pie. Meanwhile, add onion, carrot, and celery to a separate pan with olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add in the dried herbs and another pinch of salt and pepper and cook for another two minutes. Add 3 tbsp flour and stir to coat all the vegetables and soak up the butter and olive oil. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes. It's important to cook off the raw flour. Allowing it to brown will deepen the flavors.

Next pour in the chicken broth, potatoes, and wine and stir quickly into a smooth sauce. Allow to simmer and cook off the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the milk and dijon, you don’t want it boiling or the milk could curdle. Wait a minute if you need to. Then you can gently increase the heat after the milk has been added and allow the sauce to bubble gently for a few minutes. The sauce should thicken up nicely. Now stir in the chicken and peas. Transfer the mixture to a casserole or pie dish and cover with the puff pastry or crust. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes until the crust is nicely browned and cooked through. Enjoy!