Janet's Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

My first meal that I cooked for The Better Halves...not sure if I would tackle something this time-consuming now, but it sure was yummy!

(Serves 4 to 6)

· 2 chicken chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
· 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
· 1/2 stick unsalted butter
· 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped (optional – I don’t really like onions, so I leave them out)
· 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/8 cup heavy cream (optional, but really good)
· 1 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
· 1 cup frozen peas or frozen sugar-snap peas, chopped
· 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (if you have parsley, more power to you. I never have any)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice.

In a small saucepan (or in the microwave), heat the chicken broth. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. (Or skip the onions—I do.) Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste—might want less depending on how salty your broth is), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas and parsley if you have it. Mix well.

(*Follow instructions below for crust.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour the filling into a very large pie pan. Roll out the dough, and then place it on top of your pie. (This is a top-crust only pie.) Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Make several slits in the top. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 or so, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Brush with melted butter after you remove from the oven. Serve hot.



Cornmeal Pie Crust*

Yield: Makes 2 dough disks (You only need 1 for this recipe. Freeze the other or make just half.)

Ingredients

· 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal (I used a bit more cornmeal than it called for)
· 2 tablespoons sugar
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
· 1/4 cup chilled shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
· 8 to 10 Tbsp. Chilled apple cider (or apple juice)

Preparation

1. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter and shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Mound mixture on 1 side of bowl.

2. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. apple cider along edge of mixture in bowl. Using a fork, gently toss a small amount of flour mixture into cider just until dry ingredients are moistened; move mixture to other side of bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining cider and flour mixture.

3. Gently gather dough into two flat disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 to 24 hours.