Chicken Pot Pie

Oh man...  I think this is the best thing I've ever made.


Pie Crust

From Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 sticks of butter, chilled and cut into small cubes (this is a deviation - Julia used 1 1/2 sticks of butter plus 4 Tbs of shortening)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sugar (I just added a pinch)
A scant half cup of ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  Add butter and work the mixture with the tips of your fingers until you get oatmeal-size pieces.  You want to work quickly so you don't melt the butter.

Add the ice water and use your hand in a sort of scoop to mix the ingredients.  Form the dough together into a ball.  You can add drops of ice water to incorporate any bits that are still separate.

Remove the dough from the bowl and put on a floured work surface.  Use the heel of your hand to smear the dough across the surface.  This step further blends the flour and fat.  Recombine into a ball, cover (I put it in a zip lock bag) and refrigerate for an hour.

Now make the filling while the crust dough chills.  If you start washing and chopping veg right after you refrigerate the crust, then the timing works out pretty well.  If you're a fast chopper, you could probably take a break too.


Filling

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
Juice of a small lemon
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
2 Tbs butter
1Tbs thyme
1 tsp coriander
 salt & pepper

Heat the butter over medium.  Add the vegetables and cook until starting to soften, about ten minutes.  Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.  Add broth, cream, and seasonings and simmer on low while the dough continues to chill.

Once the dough has chilled, cut it into two pieces.  Roll out half the dough into a round.  This is easiest if you keep rotating the dough as you work.  It should get to be about 1/8 inch thick.  Place it in a pie plate and lightly press it into the edges of the plate.  Add the filling now.  Roll out the second half of the dough and fit on top.  Press the two halves together to make a nice seal.  Cut a couple vents and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

The work is worth it!