Chicken Pot Pie is a comfort meal for me. Sunday night is the perfect night to do it: you have plenty of time and it makes the whole house smell good. Sometimes even though I like to make a pot cake during the week, it’s a wonderful gift for the evening of the week, especially when you make a can of homemade dressing that’s delicious. I have many recipes for shortcut ingredients, but they usually end up using a boxed inflated dough or a boxed phyllo dough. Don’t get me wrong, those recipes are delicious, and I wouldn’t think twice about using them, but sometimes you’re looking for something a little more special.
My husband invited a co-worker to dinner one night who was visiting from out of town. He enjoys food like we do, so I wanted to do something he enjoyed. I saw this recipe at Cook’s Illustrated, and I couldn’t wait to make it. The problem is that I couldn’t do it for my husband and me, we would be eating it all week, and I wasn’t convinced that my kids would enjoy it. I finally got my chance, with two great eaters and I, I was sure we would get through a lot.
It was fantastic, the crumbles were delicious and the sauce had just the right amount of flavor, it definitely tasted like I had been making it all day, but in fact, I worked all day, and started this meal at 6pm. Cook’s Illustrated recovered again, I will definitely do this again, and maybe even for my kids too…
Ingredients:
Stuff
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- cups low-sodium chicken broth
- tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 medium carrots, peeled
- small celery ribs, finely chopped
- pkg mushrooms, washed and sliced
- soy sauce 1 teaspoon
- tomato paste
- milk 1
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- tablespoons
- chopped fresh parsley leaves
- /
- frozen peas
3
2
1 medium onion, finely chopped
and sliced 2
1
1 teaspoon
4 tablespoons (1/2 bar) butter 1 cup whole
/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons
3
3
4 cup
Crumble Topping
2
- cups all-purpose flour
- teaspoons baking powder
- 8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, cold 1
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2
3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/
/2 cup
Preheat
oven to
450
. For chicken
: Bring chicken and broth over low heat in a Dutch oven covered over medium heat. Cook until the chicken is ready, then transfer the chicken to a bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and store.
For topping: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the pieces of butter and incorporate with your fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the parmesan, then add the cream and stir until combined. Place on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 to 13 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Reserve.
For the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the Dutch oven empty over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir well. Cook until the vegetables are tender, and while cooking, crush the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to the bowl with chicken and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the pot and then add the mushrooms, cover and cook until the mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the soy sauce and tomato paste. Cook, stirring until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the chicken and vegetables.
Heat the butter in the pot and when the foam subsides, add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring. Slowly beat the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to get those golden pieces. Simmer for about a minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and add lemon juice and parsley. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and place it in the sauce. Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish and sprinkle the crumble covering evenly over the top. Bake until the filling bubbles and the topping is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Makes 6-8 servings
For a printable version of this recipe, click here: Chicken cake with salty crumble toppings
