Chicken Pot Pie

Original recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/vegetarian-pot-pie-recipe.html (Pot Pie) and here: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/08/super-easy-recipe-whole-wheat-biscuits/

Courtesy of: Aida Mollenkamp/Food Network (Pot Pie) & 100 Days of Real Food (Biscuit Dough)

Made on: 8/20/14

Yield: For me, 2 8x8 casseroles

INGREDIENTS

For the pot pie filling:

I added 1 chicken breast, cubed and cooked

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I used 1T olive oil)

2 small heads fennel, finely chopped-about 3 cups (I couldn’t find this, so I used fennel seed)

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped-about 2/3 cup

12 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced-about 5 cups (I used 2 5-oz cans of sliced mushrooms)

1 small russet potato, peeled and diced small-about 2 1/2 cups (I used 3 smallish potatoes)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)

1 cup low-sodium mushroom broth (I used chicken broth and the water from the cans of mushrooms)

1 cup whole milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1 cup frozen baby green peas

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives

1/4 cup parsley

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 large egg yolk

I added 1 stalk of celery, chopped

7 ounces store-bought puff pastry or pie dough, defrosted if frozen (I made my own-see below)

For the dough on top:

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (I used margarine due to not having any butter)

1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the pot pie filling:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.

2. Melt butter over medium heat in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add fennel, onions, and carrots, and cook until just soft and onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and potato, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms have let off water and are shrunken, about 6 minutes.

3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir to coat, and cook until raw flavor is gone, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. You could add the chicken here.

4. Remove from heat, add peas, herbs, and vinegar, and stir to coat. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn filling into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

5. Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

6. Place dough over filling and tuck into the edges of the dish. Brush dough with egg wash and cut slits in the top to vent. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.

For the biscuit dough:

1. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.

2. Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.

3. Using a fork, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour.

4. Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a counter or cutting board.

5. Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).

Adjustments I made: I adjusted the ingredients as noted above. I increased the amount of potatoes to try to fill it out a bit. Feel free to increase the carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, etc. as you enjoy. I added the celery with the onions and carrots. I also added chicken – this was originally a vegetarian pot pie.

For the dough, I made my own whole wheat biscuit dough. Before flattening it out, I split it into two portions for my two casserole dishes. I flattened out the dough to the size I needed then put it over the pot pie as instructed.

I made one casserole the night before and waited to bake it until the night it was being served. The other 8x8 casserole is in the freezer, so I will update after that one has actually been eaten!

Adjustments I would like to make: Next time, I would bake it longer. The potatoes were a little crunchy after half an hour, but that could be due to being refrigerated overnight. I may add different vegetables, like broccoli, just to see how it goes.

Overall Satisfaction: Very good and very filling! No cream of soups, which should make everyone happy, and full of veggies. Plus, the biscuit dough turned out to be very simple to make myself and hardened to a nice crust. Ellie actually grunted every time I took a bite, so I think she liked it too!

Would I Make it Again? Yes. It seems like a good one to prepare ahead of time, and it tasted great!

Pictured: Top of the pot pie, right out of the oven. I forgot to take the picture until I had already cut it in half, but it is otherwise intact!

Pictured: Side view of the pot pie, post-baking.

Pictured: Chicken Pot Pie served up on a plate. It was delicious!