Chicken Pie with Rich Chicken Stock by Charlie Burke

Chicken Pie...with Rich Chicken Stock by Charlie Burke www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com

When the weather abruptly changed from oppressive heat and humidity to cold and rainy, and when the temperature dropped 40 degrees in a matter of hours (we are talking about life in northern New England, after all), Joanne decided we were having chicken pie, not chicken salad. We have no single recipe for chicken pie, but the one constant is reducing our own stock as a flavor base and thickening it slightly with flour. We usually add fresh thyme, rather than more assertive herbs such as sage or rosemary.

This recipe is all about the moist meat from chicken roasted or grilled at high heat and the richness of the reduced stock, so we add only small amounts of vegetables, usually only peas and carrots -- although quartered frozen artichoke hearts go well with the slight acidity from the lemon juice.

The pie crust recipe was generously shared with Joanne by Linda Van Valkenburgh, who studied at Johnson and Wales culinary school and sells spectacularly delicious pies made with fresh, local fruit and berries at the Sanbornton Farmers’ Market. She believes using King Arthur pastry flour makes the difference, and after tasting her crust we agree! Certainly, you can use your own favorite pie crust recipe, omitting any sugar.

Four to six servings:

Pie crust*:

¾ cups unbleached pastry flour ½ cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder 3/8 teaspoon salt ½ stick cold unsalted butter (Joanne substitutes Earth Balance, an excellent butter substitute, containing no cholesterol, saturated fats or trans fats) ¼ cup butter flavored shortening ¼ cup ice water double for a 2 crust pie and add 1 tablespoon sugar for fruit pies Pulse dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and shortening in pieces and briefly pulse four or five times until they are pea sized. Add water a little at a time, pulsing each briefly until the dough comes together; depending on the flour and humidity, you may not need the entire volume of water. Once the dough comes together, form it into a ball, press it flat and refrigerate for at least an hour or over night. It will be rolled after pie ingredients are combined.

Filling:

4 cups chicken stock, low sodium if commercial 4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons butter or butter substitute Generous 3 cups chicken cut into 1 inch pieces ½ - ¾ cup peas 3 small carrots, thinly sliced 1 package frozen artichoke hearts, quartered (optional) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 380 degrees. In a heavy sauce pan melt butter over medium heat and add flour, stirring to blend. Cook until it starts to color slightly (becoming a light roux), then whisk in the stock. Add carrots and boil until reduced by 25%; it will thicken noticeably. Add lemon juice, thyme, chicken, peas and artichokes, if using, and season with salt and pepper. If you used commercial stock, taste for salt before seasoning. After adding salt and pepper, check again and add more lemon juice if needed. Place into a deep 10” pie dish (Joanne uses her favorite Bennington Pottery dish from Vermont). Roll out the crust dough and cover pie, pinching the edges and venting well. Brushing with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 ½ tablespoon water) will enhance browning.

Place pie on a baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. If you are using the egg wash, apply it again at 20 minutes and rotate the pie for even browning. The pie is done when the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Served with a salad, this is comfort food capable of warming the coldest New England spring day!