Chicken Pot Pie for a Crowd

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Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

• 1 large onion, small dice

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and small dice

• 2 celery ribs, small dice

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• Pinch of cayenne

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 3/4 cup frozen peas

• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

• 1 pie crust (you can follow this recipe if you’d like to make it from scratch)

Directions

1. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock in a large sauce pot. Place the chicken breasts in the pot. Poach the chicken by bringing the stock to just below a simmer, between 160 - 180 degrees. If the temperature of the stock gets over 180 degrees reduce the heat. You don’t want to simmer or boil the chicken. This cooks it slowly and keeps it juicy. The chicken will be cooked when it reaches 160 degrees, about 12-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add the oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until the mixture is softened, about 5-7, minutes. The onion will be soft and translucent and the celery and carrots will brighten in color. Do not caramelize or brown the mixture.

3. Remove the mixture from the heat and place in a large bowl. Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the butter.

4. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk to form a blonde roux, about 2-3 minutes. (You can watch me do this here.)

5. Slowly pour in two cups of chicken stock and whisk constantly to combine.

6. Add the dried thyme, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer to thicken, about five minutes.

7. Once the sauce has thickened, slowly add the milk and whisk until incorporated. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the sauce thickens a little more, about three minutes.

8. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the peas, parsley, and onion, carrot, celery mixture.

9. Remove the poached chicken, it should be cooked by now. Shred it into bite sized pieces using two forks.

10. Add the chicken to the sauce mixture. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed.

11. Pour the chicken pot pie mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish.

12. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

13. Roll out the pie dough to a 10 x 14 inch rectangle. Then lay the dough over the casserole dish. You should have dough hanging over the edges. Quickly fold the dough over the top to from an edge. Using a paring knife make three slashes across the top of the dough.

14. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, 25 - 30 minutes.

15. Remove the chicken pot pie from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.