Chicken Pot Pie

Fall is in the air and with the speed at which the time is flying,  soon it would be holiday season too. One favorite thing of mine, during the holidays is the extensive baking, which leaves our house smelling good and warm. This chicken pot pie is one perfect bake for this chilled weather. With all the buttery crust and the melt in the mouth chicken mixture in it, it is one of our favorite and the best baked ever. Try making it at home and enjoy this fall/ winter season.

Ingredients

For the pie dough

1. 2 cups of all purpose flour
2. 1 cup if unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3. 1 tsp of salt
4. 1 tbsp of sugar
5. 6- 7 tbsp of ice cold water

For the filling

1. 1 cup of Chicken breast, cut into small cubes
2. 1 cup of carrot, cut into small cubes
3. 1 cup of celery, sliced
4. 1 cup of green peas
5. 1 cup of potatoes, cut into cubes
6. 1/2 cup of white onion, cut into cubes
7. 2 tbsp of butter
8. 2 tbsp of all purpose flour

Method

Making of Pie Dough

• Add the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix it with a whisk to have it all spread evenly.
• Add the cubes of butter to it and work with the tip of your fingers to crumble the butter and mix into the flour to have a salt like texture . Add 2 tbsp of water and mix it into the mixture and while you mix it add 1 tbsp at a time until the dough barely begins to hold together.
• Turn in the mixture onto a dry and clean surface. Just knead it couple of times until it holds together without cracks. Small pieces of butter appearing in the dough is absolutely fine because it would result in bringing a flaky texture to the crust, once baked.
• Divide the dough into two. Sprinkle some flour over it and wrap them separately in cling wraps. Refrigerate for about 1-2 hours.

Assembly of Pie

• Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• In a pan, take the chicken. Add water to cover it and boil it for about 15 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, potatoes and celery and continue boiling it for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Drain it and set it aside. Reserve the drained out water.
• Into the same pan, take the butter and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add in the flour and whisk it well to make it lump free and roasted in butter. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk. Mix it well.
• Simmer it on medium low heat untill it is thick. Add the cooked chicken, carrot, potatoes, peas and celery. Mix it all well and remove it from the heat.
• Meanwhile, take out the pie dough from the refrigerator and leave it for 5-10 minutes in order for it to soften just a little to be rolled out. Roll out the pie dough. You could sprinkle some flour if you feel that the dough is sticking on to the surface. 
• In a pie tray, line the pie crust. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines to the bottom of the pie tray surface.Trim the edges of the extra dough sticking out of the tray. Add the chicken mixture and spread it even. Roll out the remaining crust dough and place it over the filling. Trim the edges and seal it. Cut slits on the top, for the steam to escape. You could also brush with egg wash to have the perfect color crust.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or untill the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly. Once out of the oven, let it stand for about 15 minutes before serving it.

Tips

1. The filling should be thick. A mixture that is runny could lead to the crust getting soggy.