Chicken Pot Pie

The ultimate comfort food of all comfort foods: chicken pot pie. The history of these pies trace all the way back to the days of the Roman Empire when they were served as pastries for large banquets. Pot pie was revived in the 16th century by the English and became a huge fad among its gentry. Finally, this pie reached its way to the Americas by the 19th century and became an instant classic for Americans (back then it was mad using robin). Today, this dish is a stable of classic American food and is widely eaten for dinner and as a cold-remedy. I hope you guys give my version of the chicken pot pie a try!

Total cooking time: 1 hr.

Serving size: One medium-sized pot pie

Ingredients for filling:

1 chicken breast

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 carrot, diced

1/3 onion, diced

1/2 cup peas

4-5 broccoli florets, chopped

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. all purpose flour

1/4 unbaked pie crust/puff pastry (if you don’t have this scroll down for a recipe for the pastry)

Ingredients for pie crust:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1 egg, beaten with 2 tbsp. water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Water, enough to form the dough together

Directions:

1. Put the chicken breast on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Salt and pepper generously and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until cooked through.

2. To prepare the pastry, mix all the ingredients together and form into a dough ball. Place inside the fridge until ready to be used.

3. Melt the butter in a pot and cook the onions on medium heat until translucent.

4. Add the flour in and stir and cook until no more of the raw white color is left.

5. Pour in the chicken stock and stir and cook on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.

6. Once it comes to a boil, mix in the carrots, peas, broccoli and heavy cream and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat.

7. By this time the chicken should be done. Remove from the oven and dice into cubes and add it to the pot. Cook for 5 more minutes.

8. Pour the filling into a casserole dish and get the pastry out of the fridge.

9. Roll the pastry into a disk large enough to cover around the top of the dish and fold the edges into the side of the dish. Make three slips on the surface of the pastry and dust the top with salt and pepper.

10. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes and serve!

~Anni Zhang