Saturday Night Chicken Pot Pie....

Today was a rainy, gusty, day here in New Jersey, it was strangely humid and warm compared to how the weather has been. I got some stuff done that I needed to do and then spent most of the afternoon reading a new Nick Malgieri cookbook I just bought...oh, and a new Flo Braker cookbook as well...Both seem really good. Both are baking books. It seems I have been baking almost as much as cooking lately. It is just that I so rarely use a recipe when I cook...I just go for it. The Malgieri book is called "The Modern Baker". The instructions are very detailed, I just loved sitting down and drinking a cup of tea or two and reading through it. The Flo Braker is called "Baking for All Occasions"...I saw quite a few recipes that were calling my name.

Tonight I made a chicken pot pie for dinner. For some reason, chicken pot pie is all over the place lately. Everywhere I look. I guess with the state of everything in this country and in the world right now, we all could use a little bit of comfort...and this is comfort food at its best.

No real recipe here. I used Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee but added some fresh thyme and coarsely ground black pepper to the dough.I made a double crust pie because that is what my kids like. I used a medium red potato and two organic carrots which I had steamed until tender, and 3/4 cup of frozen peas. I sauteed 1 medium sweet onion in 1/2 stick of butter and added 1/2 cup of flour to make a roux, added 2 cups of homemade chicken stock( you could use low sodium in the can)then added 1 1/2 cups of 1/2 and 1/2...ok...no one said this was a lo-cal recipe.
You could use 1 % milk too if you wanted to...but it was comfort I was looking for tonight! I had already cubed a whole breast and two thighs from a roasted chicken. I added that to the simmering sauce along with the veggies.Then I added a few good pinches of French Thyme salt that a dear friend brought back from Paris for me. I also added a little handful of finely chopped fresh parsley. I rolled out the crust, filled the pie and baked 15 minutes at 425* and about 40 minutes at 400*...this was a huge deep dish 9 inch pie...I sprinkled the pre-baked crust with a large pinch of the thyme salt and some Maldon Salt...not too much...

It was really good...it reminded me of Saturday nights when I was little. It was a big treat to have a Swanson's frozen chicken pot pie once in a while, if my parents were going out and I was left with a sitter.I always loved those little frozen pot pies. My Mom never made home-made pot pies. My kids are glad that I do. This is something I only make a few times a year...but everyone enjoys it when I do....

Here is the pie before going into the oven....


Cooling on the counter....



There is plenty leftover for lunch!