Great for Weekend Cooking

This is a family favorite, it has such depth of flavor, but without putting off the kids.  Grandpa’s favorite as well.  It takes time to make – but on a lazy Sunday why not?  This recipe makes two pies.  They go so fast in my house, there is no point in making only one.

Ingredients:

3 slices of bacon (freeze for 20 minutes before chopping into small pieces)

2 generous swirls of olive oil

2 – 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces (1 inch or so)

1 teaspoon Paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon pepper (mix together and use to season the chicken by sprinkling on the cleaned/cut/dried pieces, and put the remainder into the flour)

1 cup or so of Wondra flour

1 large yellow onion small dice

1 clove of garlic small dice

4 large carrots peeled and medium dice

Trick:  My trick for cutting carrot slices somewhat evenly is to cut the narrow part of the carrot off of the bottom and make my thin round slices.  Then I slice the thicker half lengthwise and cut my dices on each half with the flat side down so it doesn’t roll (really thick old carrots, you can do 2 lengthwise cuts).

3 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into small dice (little half inch squares)

Trick:  After you dice the potatoes, leave them in cold water until ready to use, so the potatoes don’t turn colors from  the oxygen, and the starch will seep into the water

4 celery stalks small dice

1 Tablespoon butter

1 cup of White Vermouth or other dry white wine

1 box Kitchen Basics low sodium chicken stock

Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

1 Teaspoon dried thyme

1 Handful of frozen baby peas

1/2 Cup heavy cream

1 Package puff pastry sheets (thawed on the counter per package instructions)

1 Egg scrambled with a dash of milk or water

Fresh herbs from the garden (I use 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley and half tablespoon finely chopped rosemary)

Warm up a large dutch oven on medium-high heat (or comparable large pot that can go from stove to oven) then add the swirls of olive oil and the small pieces of bacon.  Let these cook on medium heat while you move them around, until they become crisp but not burnt.

Tip:  Use the rendered bacon fat as a flavor component when browning the chicken.  If you burn the bacon, the fat too will be black and burnt and you will need to start over with a clean pot, so keep an eye on the bacon!

As you see some crisping up, start taking them out of the pan and put on a plate to reserve for later.

Once all the bacon has been crisped,  season your chicken pieces with the paprika, salt and pepper, then shake your chicken pieces in a 1 gallon freezer baggy filled with Wondra Flour (which will also contain the remainder of your dry spices).  Cook in the Dutch oven in the olive oil and bacon fat.  Cook on the first side until browned, about 3-5 minutes on medium heat, try not to touch it until browned, it will actually stick if it is not ready to be turned.  Then cook on the other side until browned, 2-3 minutes.  Remove the chicken pieces to a plate to reserve for later.

Add the diced onion to the pan.  Sprinkle some salt on the onions, it will help the water cook out.  Cook until translucent, add the garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add the butter then dump in the carrots and celery.  Stir well and cook for 3 minutes, then pour in the wine and mix around with a spatula, getting all the brown bits off of the pan.  Cook the veggies for another 2-3 minutes while the wine cooks down.  Add in the chicken stock, the dried thyme, and while it is cooled down, whisk in Wondra flour to thicken (don’t use the flour left in the freezer bag since it was used on the raw chicken).  Return the chicken pieces to the pot, add some salt and pepper and combine (you can add more seasoning later, so go light at this point).  Put the lid on and put the pot onto the middle rack of a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes just to warm everything through, stir it once during cooking.

While the filling is cooking together make sure your pastry sheets are coming to room temperature.  Once the filling is heated through, pour even amounts of filling into two large ceramic pie dishes.  This is where I modify for the picky eaters in my house, I throw a handful of frozen baby peas into one pie pan and not into the other so the kid’s can avoid the lovely little green peas by choosing the “boring” pie!

Add in the bacon pieces, half into each pie dish.  Whisk in a 1/4 cup heavy cream into each pie.  Sprinkle in the fresh herbs if using.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed now, before you put on the lids.  Roll out the puff pastry and coat the top with the egg wash using a brush.  Lay a pastry top onto each pie folding the excess over like corners and keep on the pie.  Do NOT waste any pastry, this is everyone’s favorite part.  Put pies into the oven (still set at 350 degrees).  Cook until pastry is golden brown, I check it at about 20 minutes, but it may take a total of 30 minutes.

Very rich dish, best served with a light salad, if you can get anyone to eat salad with this steaming hot on the table!  Definitely nice with the dry wine you used within the filling – best to cook with what you like to drink, then you have an excuse to finish the bottle…I mean it’s open now anyway and it is the weekend, right?