Thursday, May 13, 2010

A chicken pot pie recipe that will solve anything...



I wish I could post more, I was hoping to have Eleni's birth story up by now with pictures and everything, but my recovery has been harder than I thought it would be. I'm hoping things will turn up soon. Micah is taking a huge load at school so it's been a bit stressful, but luckily I am blessed with the best mom ever-she has been taking such good care of me. She has slept over and allowed me to sleep through the night and she would stay up with Eleni. She get her when she cried, bring her to me when she needed to eat, then I could go back to sleep and she would take care of Eleni. I am so grateful to her I don't know how I could make it through these times without her.

My mom has also been making us dinner, and one night she made us Ina Garten's chicken pot pie. Talk about amazing! With each bite I took out of this amazing dish, it lifted my spirits and made me forget my stresses and the pain I was in. I can't wait till I am feeling better so I can make this myself. So here's the recipe, and be patient with me, I promise I will be blogging more soon:)

O...and just cause I can't help it, here are some pics of Eleni's first bath, which she hated by the way. She screamed bloody murder the whole way through, I don't think she will be getting too many baths:)




Ina Garten Chicken Pot Pie
my mom made this into two regular sized pie pans

Ingredients

  • 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
  • Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot

5 comments:

  1. Congrats on your darling little girl! You are so lucky to have such a great mom to help you out. Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling the best. Just remember to not push yourself and take all the time you need to recover. We will look forward to your new posts when you have fully recovered. Wishing you well!!

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  3. Look at that sad face! I've been wanting to try that recipe ever since I saw her make it on her show. I'm sorry the recovery has been hard. Get feeling better.

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  4. Chicken Pot Pie does solve anything. One of the ultimate comfort foods in my mind!

    Congrats on your baby girl!

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  5. Eleni looks absolutely precious! I can't believe you have a newborn and you're blogging.

    Get all the sleep you can and hold your sweet little girl as much as you can. She will grow so fast, you'll be amazed.

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