Chicken Potpie
It is very easy to overblend pastry in a food processor. Follow these instructions carefully and your dough should turn out perfectly. The recipe calls for baking extra pastry squares to ensure that everyone will have plenty to enjoy with their potpie.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter,
cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed
For the filling:
- 14 Tbs. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut
into 1/2-inch cubes - 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup dry sherry
- 2 Tbs. chicken demi-glace
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into slices
1/8 inch thick - 3 oz. white button mushrooms, cut into
1/4-inch dice - 6 oz. small red-skinned potatoes, cut into
1/2-inch dice - 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water
Directions
To make the pastry, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and butter and process with 15 rapid on-off pulses; the mixture should look light and dry and resemble tiny, irregular flakes and crumbs. Add 5 Tbs. of the water and process with 5 rapid on-off pulses. Add the remaining 3 Tbs. water and process with 3 rapid on-off pulses. Stop and feel the dough (taking care not to touch the blade); it should be just damp enough to mass together. If necessary, add more water by tablespoonfuls, pulsing briefly after each addition. The total mixing time is less than 1 minute, and the dough should remain a rough, shaggy mass.
Using floured hands, pat the dough into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger dough disk into a 12-inch round about 3/16 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Roll out the second dough disk into a 10 1/2-inch square about 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into nine 3 1/2-inch squares. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
To make the filling, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the sherry and demi-glace. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Transfer the filling to a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven. Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry round over the top and press the edges to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, brush the tops of the pastry squares with the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. To serve, scoop the potpie into individual dishes and serve the pastry squares alongside. Serves 6 to 8.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen