Savory chicken pot pies

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 Chicken breast halves
6 Chicken thighs
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Oil
1 can Chicken broth (49.5 oz)
1 small Onion, cut into quarters
1 Celery stalk, cut into chunks
1 small Carrot, peeled, cut into chunks
¼ cup Melted butter
¼ cup Flour
2 tablespoons Minced tarragon
1 cup Pearl onions, peeled
1 medium Potato, peeled, cut into 1/2\" chunks
4 smalls Carrots, cut into 1/2\" diagonal slices (~1 1/2 c)
2 cups Broccoli florets
1½ cup Quartered button mushrooms
Rich pastry crust
2 Egg yolks, beaten

Directions

This refined version of an old American classic has a rich, flaky, meaty-tasting crust, thanks to its mixture of lard and chicken fat.

The latter is a handy byproduct of the precooking of the chicken the day before. Make sure the chicken fat is good and cold when making the crust.

Season chicken parts to taste with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and oil together in soup pot. Add chicken and brown. Add chicken broth, quartered onion, celery chunks and carrot chunks and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, 20-30 minutes. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, skim cold chicken fat off top of broth. Reserve ¼ cup fat for making Rich Pastry Crust. (Keep reserved chicken fat in refrigerator.)

Heat broth and remove chicken. Skin and bone chicken parts. Discard skin and bones. Cut meat into 2" chunks and set aside.

Strain broth. Reduce over high heat to 3 cups. Combine ¼ cup melted butter and flour in saucepan and gradually stir in broth. Bring to boil and boil 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in tarragon.

Cook pearl onions, potato, sliced carrots and broccoli separately in boiling water until tender, 5-10 minutes each. Drain.

Toss together cooked chicken, cooked vegetables and mushrooms. Stir in chicken-tarragon sauce. Divide into 4 (2 cup) oval casseroles.

Make Rich Pastry Crust. Divide dough in half and gather into 2 small flattened rounds. Roll first half on lightly floured board to ¼" thick Cut dough to fit tops of 2 casseroles, leaving enough dough to overhang edges by 1". Repeat with second half of dough.

Brush edges of casseroles with egg yolk and place crusts atop casseroles. Flute edges. Make 4 triangular cuts in center of each crust and fold back tips of triangles. Brush crust with egg yolk (save egg whites for another use). Bake at 400'F. until crust is golden brown and contents hot and bubbly, 20-30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 1,364 calories; 3,243 milligrams sodium; 343 milligrams cholesterol; 91 grams fat; 78 grams carbohydrates; 57 grams protein;

1.09 grams fiber.

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