Fresh Old-School Chicken ‘Pot’ Pie

Well that title can have a variety of interpretations, depending upon your state and your state of mind. For this meaty pie, we’ll leave out the obvious innuendo concerning the 19 states wherein a pot pie is legal. And before you ask “Sid, chicken pot pie? In August in South Florida?” I say yes! Because if turning on the oven for an hour means you’ll end up with this rich repast, it’s well worth it. And it goes great with a green salad and chilly bottle of pinot grigio or an icy-cold beer.

Back in the old days, when the covered station wagons would form a circle at the beach to fend off the swarms of snowbirds, my parents had Thursday night marked off as a cooking sabbath.

For years growing up in Long Island, N.Y., my mother would take us three kids for a weekly one-mile hike to Pathmark and we’d help her bring home two chock-full shopping carts. (A tougher trek in the winter, so my dad would drive us.) Those Thursday night shopping trips wore her out, so that meant we could pick out one – one – pre-made meal. It was a joyous departure from the usual MO: If Mom didn’t cook it from scratch, we didn’t eat it.

In this category of Thursday night fast food were TV dinners and frozen pizza, all to lighten the cooking load. Swanson was first choice and dependable. The roast turkey was a hit (even though there never was enough fake stuffing under that starchy gravy), but pasta and meatballs and the chow mein were downright dangerous. The latter’s required 20-30 minutes in the oven made the sweet and sour sauce portion a pool of lethally hot, tongue-scalding corn syrup of a lurid hue. Nonetheless, those were good times, when we got to eat and watch our nightly three-hour limit of TV.

Now, there is a huge industry built around precooking for people “too busy” to cook food for themselves, or for peeps afraid they’ll burn water. No problem, but for me, homemade food rules. Joy can always be found in the Zen of cooking when you can. Seeking out the proper ingredients, the preparation of same and combining learned skills with elements to create that temporal treat – real neat!

But back to chicken pot pie.

Though my mother never attempted to make one, her pastries and “kuchens” were over the top, and her creamed chicken hearts were a favorite in our house. Yet Thursday night’s chicken pot pie – Swanson did make one of reasonable quality – had an allure that we kids did not pass up. My internal complaint was that some pies were superior to others; the more dark meat and the less carrots, peas and corn, the better the pie. When I finally decided to try to make one myself, I swore to be true and concoct that baby right.

I’ve never been good at pastry, ergo buying the “puff” made a great deal of sense. Then came the creative editions: more dark meat, fresh baby corn, peas and carrots, and lots of vermouth-soaked pearl onions. One cannot forget to add the pearl onions, a similar sentiment to Julia Child’s classic “Don’t forget the giblets!” Granted, the vodka Gibsons will be lacking.

Another tip is to make the sauce better by using chicken broth to deglaze the cooked thigh and breast meat. And I always try to use fresh ingredients rather than the ever-present, easy-way-out frozen. Experimenting with any dish is where it’s at, but recipes are a good thing to follow. Last month, I met a man in Publix who was going to follow my rib roast recipe. I hope it went well for his dinner guests, as he was panicked because he didn’t feel he had enough time to get his meat to my recommended room temperature …

So, follow recipes and be prepared! Don’t hasten down the path of culinary enlightenment with frozen vegetables or Mastodon meat, or by heading for the microwave. Walk softly Kwai Chang Caine, you can leave the kitchen temple after you walk on the phyllo pastry without tearing it to shreds.

Let’s get to some creative poultry pie, ’cause I know you are smelling what I’m tellin’!

FRESH OLD-SCHOOL CHICKEN ‘POT’ PIE

PREPARATION

·     In large skillet, lightly sauté chicken in 2 ounces oil (light browning only).

·     Add chicken stock to pan to deglaze meat, cooking about 20 minutes over a low-heat simmer; remove cooked chicken, set aside in covered bowl and reserve stock.

·     In small saucepan, add reserved stock (save a couple of ounces), carrots, corn and peas; simmer 20 minutes.

·     Separate vegetables and set aside; add butter, remaining oil and thyme to saucepan and slowly whisk in flour to create a roux, cooking until light brown in color.

·     Add milk to roux and simmer over medium-low heat until thick; add reserved stock as needed if it gets too thick. Remove from heat.

·     Preheat oven to 400º F.

·     Cut pie crust to fit into bottom of two 12″ Pyrex dishes; set aside and cut top crust for. Place bottom pastry into dishes, poke a few holes in crust to allow steam to escape and bake 6-8 minutes; remove and let cool. Turn over down to 375º F.

·     Mix chicken, vegetables and onions; divide and evenly spoon into each dish. Be sure every bite has multiple flavors – don’t spoon all the dark meat to one side!

·     Pour roux evenly over chicken-veggie mixture, cover each dish with top crust and pinch-seal edges. Cut away excess edge crust if you must; personally, I like it roughed over.

·     Make several small slices/holes in the top crust, again, to allow steam to escape. Any excess pastry scraps? Have fun and use them to add mystery hieroglyphics or goofy bird shapes like dodos or great auks. Ah, sweet mystery of extinct life!

·     Brush pastry tops with yolk-water mixture; place pies in oven and bake 35-45 minutes, until golden-brown.

This is a very dangerous dish if you try to eat it right away … let it cool for about 10 minutes before digging in – your tongue will thank me.

Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.