The Full Time Wife: Chicken Pot Pie On The Fly

Last night this recipe was a last minute idea and this is the scene that played in my head:

[Cut to Chopped title animation]

[Fade up and zoom into close up shot of Ivanna]

Welcome to Chopped: Home Edition, I'm your host Ivanna Mochalatte filling in for host extraordinaire Ted Allen.

[Wide shot of my kitchen and me looking into my pantry and fridge]

In today's main course we have in our basket: drum sticks, butter flavored Crisco, Italian parsley and celery. Contestant will be allotted extra time...just because we can (and she needs it)!

[Medium shot of Ivanna]

On your mark get set...go!

[Scene cuts to close up of contestant working in kitchen, VO of my voice]

Okay, what to do with what I have in the fridge and pantry? Hmmm, I'm feelin' comfort foods. Maybe I'll make the first American dish I've ever made when I was 14? Right sounds good. But dang it, I've forgotten how I made it then. Oh well, I'll just go by the seat of my pants and pray that it turns out alright.

All I had in the fridge, as far as poultry goes, was a package of drumsticks. I boiled my drumsticks in a pot filled with water, some salt, pepper and rosemary. Cooked that until it was done. Drained the chicken (kept liquid for chicken stock) and picked off the skin, bones and gelatinous parts. Then I pulled apart the meat and gave it a rough dice.

What's in my kitchen:

8 medium sized cooked Chicken Drumsticks (read paragraph above on how to prepped it)
1-1 1/2 cups of diced Carrots
1 cup of diced Celery including the leaves (very aromatic btw)
1-1 1/2 cups of Frozen Peas
1 whole yellow/white Onion diced
1/2 cup of fresh chopped Italian Parsley
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/2 cup of Milk
1/2 cup of Flour
1 can of Cream of Mushroom
2 teaspoons of Thyme
1 teaspoon of rubbed Sage
2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Chicken Stock from cooked Drumsticks

For the Dough:

2 cups of All Purpose Flour
6 tablespoons of butter flavor Crisco
7 tablespoons of ice cold water
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 egg for egg wash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the dough by mixing in salt, flour and baking soda. Then add the shortening and roll ingredients through hands until you get the consistency of small pebbles (my girl Lacy is a pro!).

Next add ice water a tablespoon at a time until you start forming a soft dough. You don't need to use all the ice water listed above, just enough so you get a dough that is not sticky but it isn't dry either.

Work dough into a ball and plastic wrap it. Place in fridge.

[Scurrying to grab a pot]

In a pot over medium high heat add Olive Oil and fry onions until tender. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock to keep the onions from browning. Then add the butter, stir it or whisk it and slowly add all the flour. While whisking add milk.

Add celery, carrots, peas, chicken, cream of mushroom, thyme, sage, black pepper, parsley and 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Toss all the ingredients together until everything is coated in spices and cream. Turn off heat and let's turn our attention to the dough, shall we? You want a gooey consistency, not a soupy one. If it's too gooey, add a splash or two of the chicken stock. If it's too soupy add a tablespoon of flour each time until you get the right gooey!

Divide dough in half. Roll out first half of the dough on the bottom of the pie dish. Add chicken filling to the dish. You'll definitely have more chicken filling left over so don't feel like you have to use all of it. I'm saving mine for leftovers.

Roll out the second portion of dough and place it on top of chicken filling. If you have small cookie cutters you can add a couple cutout designs to your pie. I made a heart cutout. If you don't want designs just use a fork and give it a good couple pokes for steam to escape. Brush pie with an egg wash for a nice finish.