JoJo's Chicken Potpie

I got a call the other day from my sister asking me if I knew of a good Chicken Potpie recipe. She had some time on her hands and thought it would be fun to try out something new.

Well...I've never made a Chicken Potpie...and did not have a recipe.

I felt terrible, she was reaching out for help, and me, the only one in the family who posts stolen recipes on the web, was of no use...

You know what they say, "Nothing Stolen, Nothing Gained", so I decided to give Chicken Potpie a try.

A singularly exquisite pie con pollo

Well, I quickly gave myself an education on the matter and actually came up with this recipe on my own - well, not really, I stole bits and pieces from here and there, and what can I say...I think we all "gained" from the experience...

Prep Time:  30 Minutes

Cook Time:  1-1/2 hours (to pre-cook chicken and filling) then 30-40 minutes (for the pie)

Servings:  One Pie serves 6.  There is enough filling to make two pies.

Ingredients:

1 large chicken (about 4 pounds)

2 quarts water or broth

2 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic

3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 ribs celery, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 large onion, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup baked okra

2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tbl herb de provence

3 tbl fresh tarragon, chopped

2 tbl fresh rosemary, chopped

1 stick butter (4oz)

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup milk or cream

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Preparing the filling:

• Wash and clean chicken and put into a dutch oven along with 2 quarts of cold water and bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer.
• Add the cloves of garlic, cover, and continue to simmer for 1 hour.
• While the chicken is cooking, prep the veggies, spices, and bake the okra.
• Remove the chicken.  Strain and reserve broth in one bowl and pick chicken and reserve meat in another.  
• Add butter to empty dutch oven and saute carrots, celery, and onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add dry spices and continue to saute another minute or so.
• Make a roux by adding the 1/2 cup of flour to the mix, and cook for another 5 minutes at medium heat.  Be careful not to burn the roux.
• Add the 2 quarts of reserve stock back into mix, 2 cups at a time.  Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or so.
• Add milk, chicken, okra, and fresh herbs and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and let filling cool slightly.

Preparing and cooking the Pies:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Fit pie crust into 9-inch glass pie plate.
• Spoon chicken filling into crust-lined pie plate.  Top pie with second crust; seal edges and flute.  Cut slits in several places in top crust.
• Cover crust edge with a pie shield (or 2-to 3-inch wide strips of foil) to prevent excess browning; remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Links:

Here is a great chicken and biscuits post that provided the inspiration for the filling.  This is a great dish on its own and is a crowd pleaser.

Here is your classic Chicken Potpie and is about as simple as you can get.

This one provided the inspiration for the single serving Ramekin potpies.