I'm not a recipe person, generally. I'm a little-of-this, little-of-that, just-eyeball-it person. I know there are you analytical types who like things to be clear and defined, but that has just never been my style. That being said, sometimes you taste a dish that is so wonderful, so perfectly prepared that you don't want one modicum of difference to occur when you attempt to recreate it.
And that's exactly the sort of feeling I had about Paula Deen's Chicken Pot Pie. My mother had made it some time ago, and it clearly was the only contender for the title of Best Chicken Pot Pie, Ever. It had the distinctions of being made with heavy cream and, instead of a traditional pie crust, it was topped with lattice-woven puff pastry. Yes, PUFF PASTRY. Isn't life grand?
Naturally, when a craving set in for Paula Deen's Chicken Pot Pie, I called my mother for instructions, who is much more accessible than Paula. It had been quite some time since she had made it, and had only a vague recollection of how to go about it. Normally that would be enough; my mother is quite adept at improvising. But this pie was so perfect, so complete, that I didn't want to take any chances. I decided to look up the recipe.
Imagine my befuddlement, then, when upon searching in Paula's Lady and Sons Cookbook, the chicken pot pie recipe I found used pie crust, not puff pastry, and no cream at all. Plus, it contained two cans of condensed soup! That sort of thing would have never been in my mother's kitchen, and it certainly would not be in mine, either. (We both feel pretty strongly about preservatives and sodium.) I determined there must be in existence another Paula Deen Chicken Pot Pie recipe, and a quick Google search confirmed this. I found two more recipes, both on the Food Network site. Only one mentioned puff pastry and cream, so I figured that must be the one. A quick print out, a gathering of materials, and I was ready for some pie making.
During this process, however, I noticed there seemed to be some... holes in the recipe. Things just weren't quite adding up. Like the fact that it called for three quarters of a cup of chicken base. (Just half that amount would be unbearably salty.) The fact that you are instructed to pour raw onions and garlic into a soupy mixture that will only be cooked until "warmed through." I don't know about you, but I don't care to bite into any chunks of raw garlic.
I won't bore you with the details of every minute frustration that entailed in the transpiring of this recipe. I will, instead, give you what I consider the best bits of all of the different versions I found of this pot pie, along with a few common sense adjustments, in hopes that you will learn this lesson the easy way: Basic kitchen skills are far more useful than recipes.
Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from several versions of Paula Deen's original recipe
1 large sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
3 or 4 chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
1 bag frozen peas and carrots, boiled or steamed soft
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg (fresh is sooooo good)
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Drizzle a little oil onto chicken breasts and generally season them with salt and pepper. Bake until cooked through, about one hour. When cooked chicken has cooled, remove the skin and discard (read: eat), then shred or chop the meat into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then add garlic and cook a little more. Onions and garlic should both be quite soft.
3. When your onions are done, add the 2/3 cup butter and allow to melt, then stir in flour. You're making a roux here- you should have a thick, velvety liquid at the bottom with the onions and garlic immersed in it. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for about four or five minutes, stirring, until the roux is golden but not brown. Add heavy cream and whisk vigorously, turning your roux into a bechamel, which is the mother of all creamy sauces.
4. Add the chicken, cooked carrots and peas, generous salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer uncovered, still over medium low heat, for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Meanwhile, lower the oven to 350F. Cut the puff pastry into one inch strips, and form into a lattice-top pastry that will fit over the top of your favorite casserole dish. Brush with beaten egg. Bake on a sheet pan about 10 minutes, or until it is puffy and golden. Leave the oven on.
6. Taste the mixture in the pot. Is it seasoned how you like it? Adjust if necessary, then pour mixture into a deep casserole dish. Top with the puff pastry lattice, pressing down slightly so the filling is visible through the holes. Bake at 350F for another ten minutes, to meld the filling and crust together.
Note: Though all of Paula's recipes for pot pie call for chicken breasts, I can't see any reason why thighs wouldn't be just as tasty. You could definitely also use leftover roasted chicken, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken, if you cared to.
P.S.- In reference for this blog entry, I Googled Paula Deen Chicken Pot Pie again. I got two more hits than last time- and one of the recipes has canned biscuits, and the other has you make a biscuit topping with Bisquick. Sheesh. I guess Paula is nothing if not versatile.
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