Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What's Cooking Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie a la Nigella



Please go to Shan's place for more What's Cooking Wednesday participants.

It's been pretty snowy and blowy here in Michigan, and when I snapped on a Nigella Lawson program during a workout the other day, I was intrigued by what seemed to be an exceedingly easy and delicious-looking recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.

When I actually looked at the recipe, I found it was for "Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Pie", and while I love all of those ingredients, I really wanted something that was heavier on vegetables and didn't use bacon (much as I love it). I felt the use of puff pastry was probably enough in the "over the top" category.

There were two things I particularly loved about the recipe, though - she has a trick to make an easy-peasy roux, and she had a trick to make the puff pastry actually seal to the rim of the bowls.

And I did have dinner on the table, start to finish, in about 40 minutes and this got six thumbs up from three people, so I think that was probably pretty good odds. So... my version of Chicken Pot Pie a la Nigella:

Chicken Pot Pie a la Nigella



Ingredients:


1 TBS garlic infused oil (I cooked a large, smashed garlic clove in olive oil for 30 or so seconds)
10 - 15 crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 large stalk celery, sliced
2 medium - large carrots, sliced
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon Marsala (I used Sherry)
1 (13-ounce) 9 by 16-inch sheet all-butter ready-rolled puff pastry - I used Trader Joe's sheets, which are smaller, and I probably used 1 and 1/2 sheets for three people. I think next time, one sheet will probably do it.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Prepare the oil and saute celery and carrots until they begin to soften. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 1 - 2 minutes more.

2. Toss the chicken strips in the flour, and then melt the butter in the pan before adding the floury chicken and all the flour left in the bag. Stir around with the vegetables until the chicken begins to color.

3. Pour in the hot stock, thyme and Sherry, stirring to form a sauce and let this bubble away for about 5 minutes.



4. Make a pastry rim for each of your pots for the pies, by this I mean an approximately 1/2-inch strip curled around the top of the pots.



5. Cut a circle bigger than the top of each pie-pot for the lid, and then divide the chicken filling between the three.

6. Pop on the top of each pie, sealing the edges with your fingers and making fork impressions around the edges.

7. Cook the pies for about 20 minutes turning them around half-way through cooking. Enjoy! (Serves three)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was with you until you got to step #4. Maybe I need to have a New Year's resolution: Learn to cook.

Charity Tahmaseb said...

Oh, these look good. Will you come over to my house and make some? We love chi-chi Popeye, as Miss B used to call them.

glamah16 said...

Wow that lloks delicious. Happy New Year my friend.

Momisodes said...

One of my all time favorite things to eat is chicken pot pie. I love the little tweaks you made, as I am big into dishes that are heavier on the veggies :) Thanks!

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

anno said...

These do look delicious, and I'm not even a pot pie fan. There are a couple of people in my house who are, though, and this looks like a version that might please all of us -- thanks for posting this!

Jen said...

Dingo... it wasn't very spelled out. You can take a knife, and cut the strips, then you just push them around the lip of the bowl that you're going to bake the pies in.

Sure, Charity - or you could bring the kids on a field trip!

Happy New Year to you, too, Glamah! Are you still in Germany?

Momisodes - you and I seem to like similar things. I'm always for more veggies - ALWAYS. ;-)

Glad this might be a possibility, Anno.

Meg said...

That is the cleanest oven I've ever seen!

Happy New Year, Jen!

Jen said...

We have a self-cleaning oven, Meg, and it just cleaned itself before I made these. ;-)

Brittany | the Home Ground said...

These look so so so good Jen! I love chicken pot pies. Mmmmm so good! Happy new year lady, I'm glad to see you're eating something yummy on it!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Hi Jen, The shot in the oven looks so good! I haven't had a pot pie yet this year. After I do a little detox, I'm making this. wishing you a very happy new year!!
xox, Marie

Jen said...

Brittany - this was our "night before New Year's Eve" dinner because it was easy. We just had finger foods last night. ;-) Hope you had a good celebration!

Proud - I need that detox, too! These were good, though. Absolutely!

Unknown said...

Yum! T. is making a pot pie today for us. Different recipe, but good nonetheless. Happy New Year.

Jen said...

Oh, enjoy, Greg! I think Pot Pies are one of the wonder foods of comfort.

Shan said...

Oh my goodness this looks delicious. I love chicken pot pic, but have never made it before. You've inspired me to give it a go!

Shayne said...

I am the only one tha teats pot pie in my house so I haver make it and I have a great recipe too :( I like the indevidule servings.

Anonymous said...

Oh.my.goodness. These look incredible. I make a mean chicken pot pie, but those knock my socks off.

Also, chicken pot pie makes me think of David Cross on Just Shoot Me. Oh, funny stuff. (Here's a YouTube link to it. Just 4 seconds of very, very, very funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApmvDU5RmyY)

Grimm said...

Ok, now THAT looks delicious! I am definitely sending the wife over this way for this one.

Anonymous said...

Will be emailing this to the actual cooks in my family. Looks yummy.

Virtualsprite said...

Looks delicious! I can't wait to try this. I love chicken pot pie, but my husband doesn't, but this is different enough that it just might work.

Also, those pots you cooked the pies in? Gorgeous!

Heather said...

I have totally neglected the pot pie for months now, which is retarded, because it's one of my Favorite Things. Still haven't tried the puff pastry topping yet, but am so on it.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Oh my goodness they're adorable and I'm sure delicious too. I really need to make a chicken pot pie soon...I miss them so!

Hope all is going well for you so far in this new year :)

Jen said...

Shan, it is delicious and child-friendly, which is always a plus!

Shayne - I'm sorry there aren't more pot pie eaters in your family!

Leslie = I can't wait to try the link, but I'm at my mom's and can't access it right now. ;-(

Grimm - I think she beat you to it!

Jersey - they were good. I hope your cook enjoys it!

Virtual - the pots were just standard onion soup things - they worked well, though! I hope that your dh likes this one.

Heather, this is so easy and just great.

Michelle, there's nothing like a pot pie, is there? Things are... going. ;-)

Alex Elliot said...

I'm totally trying this out. I love chicken pot pie. Ever since I was a kid it's been one of my favorites. Happy New Year!

BusyDad said...

Oh wow. That is just bubbly goodness right there! I hear you on the bacon and flaky pastry, but I gotta be honest. I wouldn't be able to skip em. In fact, I would probably double both things, as they are easily in my top 10 list of favorite food ingredients.

Thistlemoon said...

WOW! Those pot pies look incredible! So homey and perfect for the season. I bet your house smelled fabulous!

Jen said...

Alex - I think they are certain to become a new fave around our house.

Jim - go for the bacon. Go for it! ;-)

Jenn - it did. The sad thing is that I've been craving them ever since making them!

Anonymous said...

I just got in the habit of making chicken and biscuits, but now I want to make the pot pie. And I love Nigella's recipes, too.

Very cool and yummy blog! I would love to invite you over to mine too!

w said...

Hi girl!! Those pies look delicious :) All the best for this New Year Jen

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Chicken Pot pie was always one of my favourite restaurant meals when I was a kid. Recently I made a Chicken Stew that is basically a pot without the pie. Thanks for taking me back:D

Anonymous said...

This looks so delicious :)