I’ve become somewhat of a cake maker for my community, hired here and there to make all buttercream cakes (no fondant, never fondant) for birthdays, First Communions, and… well, that’s it really. Birthdays and First Communions. I love to bake cakes, and I’ve gotten better at decorating them too. However, my heart beats for another. His name is Pastry, but people know him as Pie. He’s buttery and rich, and a bit of a flake, but that’s a good thing. Sometimes he’s so sweet to me, and other times he’s salty, but I like a bad boy. Cake? Oh, cake is nice, and is very attractive looking, but he’s not… Pie.
Oh my God you guys, he did the cutest, most delicious thing the other day. He became a double crusted chicken pot pie! And he put dry vermouth in his filling! I’m a martini girl, so this was a real treat. He even sprinkled dry sage and sea salt on his top crust! On his top crust!!
I’m falling hard, aren’t I? Come on, I want you to meet him.
I adapted this double crusted chicken pot pie recipe from Ashley English’s beautiful pie book A Year Of Pies. Normally, a chicken pot pie has only one crust– a top crust, but I wasn’t thinking, and went ahead and made a bottom crust too. A happy accident! You can see how I make pie pastry in a food processor here.
What I love about Ashley English’s recipe is that she sprinkles celery seed on her crust before baking. I did not have any celery seed, but I did have dried sage which I sprinkled onto the crust with a little sea salt. I then brushed it with an egg wash so that the pie emerged from the oven a beautiful golden brown color.
The filling is easy to make. You begin by sauteing diced onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic. Then make a beschamel sauce (stir together flour, butter, and then add cream). This recipe also has chicken stock, thyme, and a dry white wine in its sauce. I used dry vermouth, not having any other white wine on hand. The tangy, and slight bitter flavor of the vermouth goes very nicely with the rest of the filling’s flavors. Another happy accident!
I’ve no photos of the cooking process. I’m sorry about that. Here’s a photo of the piece I ate, though.
And here’s a photo of my makeshift, bare-bones photo studio.
Double Crusted Chicken Pot Pie
Notes
Special equipment: Food processor, dough scraper, rolling pin, 8”x 6" deep baking dish (or a 9” round, deep pie plate”), large frying pan, large bowl, 2 large baking sheets, wooden spoon, whisk, plastic wrap, parchment paper, wire rack, saucepan
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 and ½ cups (313 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 and ¼ tsp Salt
- 16 TBS (227 g or 2 sticks) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ½” pieces
- 6 to 8 TBS Very Cold Water
- 2 tsp. Dry Sage
For the filling
- 8 TBS (113 g or 1 stick) Unsalted Butter, divided
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 1 Stalk of Celery, trimmed and diced
- 3 Red Potatoes, diced
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- 3 Carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” rounds
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. Salt
- Fresh Pepper
- 1 cup Frozen or Fresh Peas
- ½ cup (63 g) All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 3 TBS Dry Vermouth, or a Dry White Wine
- 3/4 cup Half and Half
- 2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
- 1 LB. Roasted Chicken Breast, shredded
For assembly
- Egg Wash (1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 TBS water)
- 1 tsp Large Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
To make the crust
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, and salt to combine.
- Add the chilled butter pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles large breadcrumbs (about 8 times).
- Pour in 6 tablespoons of cold water and pulse 5 times. Check to see if mixture is pinching together. Add another 2 to 4 tablespoons until you reach desired mixture.
- When ready, cut the dough in half, wrap up each pastry round in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Remove one of the chilled halves from the refrigerator and roll out to a rough looking 12-inch rectangular circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the rolled dough into your rectangular pie plate, and gently press it into the bottom and corners. No need to trim the edges now. Simply wrap up with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Next, roll the other chilled half into a rough 12-inch rectangular circle on the lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dry sage over top, and gently roll it in. Place the rolled dough onto a large, parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Time to get on with the filling.
To make the filling
- Place a large frying pan over medium-heat, and heat for 5 minutes. Add two tablespoons of the butter. Once melted, add the onions, celery, and potatoes, and sauté for 20 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. During the last minute, add the garlic to the vegetables. Be sure to stir it frequently.
- Add the peas, and cook for another 5 more minutes.
- Transfer this vegetable medley to a bowl, and mix in the sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, and then add to the vegetable bowl.
- Place a large baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees F.
- Next, melt the remaining six tablespoons of butter in the pan.
- Add the flour and stir until the mixture thickens, and turns a blond-looking color.
- Get your whisk handy. Slowly add the chicken stock, dry vermouth, half and half, and thyme all the while whisking. Keep whisking for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until it becomes a creamy thick sauce (the temperature should be about 160 degrees F.).
- Bring the heat down to low, and then stir in the sautéed vegetables, and shredded chicken. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Take out the chilled pie plate crust, and pour the filling into it.
- Take out the chilled, sage sprinkled, top layer crust, and gently place it on top of the filling. Trim and crimp the crusts together all along the edge.
- Brush the top with the egg wash, and sprinkle it all around with the coarse sea salt. With a sharp knife cut four 2-inch slits to create vents.
- Place the pie on top of the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 30, and then bring down the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it turns a lovely golden brown. If using a clear glass pie plate make sure the bottom is lightly browned as well.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving.
