March already! Are you as excited as me for spring? As the weather gets warmer and the day longer, I spend more time outside. Cleaning up the yard, getting the garden ready or just going for a nice walk. That’s left less time for cooking dinner. This month, I wanted to share my trick for those busy days with you. During the coldest day of winter, I prep ahead and makes pies that I froze. Therefore, on a busy night, I can just put one in the oven and heat it up for dinner. Meat pie is great because they’re easy to prep in batches, freeze well and are quick to bake in the oven (even from frozen). I always do a variety: meat pie, chicken pot pie, salmon pie, vegetable pie, etc. You can use any of your favorite pie recipe. The important step is once the pie is all assembled, instead of baking it in the oven; you put it in the freezer. On a busy night, you just take it out of the freezer and put it directly in the oven at 375F. For a 9 inch pie, it will take about 45 minutes to cook. Here’s my chicken pot pie recipe for you to try.
Chicken Pot Pie
(4 pies)
- 1 C butter softened
- 1 C All-purpose flour
- 1/4 C cornstarch
- 2 C milk
- 2 C onion, finely diced
- 2 C carrot, small diced
- 2 C celery, small diced
- 140 L chicken broth
- 2 C potato, small diced
- 6 C cooked chicken, small diced
- 2 C frozen peas
Pastry:
- 4 C flour
- 1 tea spoon salt
- 2 C cold butter, diced
- 90 ml ice cold water
- 30 ml vinegar
For the pastry:
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse a few seconds at a time until the butter is the size of peas. Transfer to a bowl. Add the water and vinegar and kneaded until the dough begin to form. Add more water if needed. Divide in 8 balls.
For the chicken potpie:
In a bowl, combine the butter with the flour. Set aside.
In a second bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the milk. Set aside.
In a pot, soften the onion, carrot, and celery in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Cover and gently simmer for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. While whisking, add the butter mixture and boil gently, constantly stirring. Add the milk and cornstarch mixture and bring back to boil. Adjust seasoning. Stir in the chicken and peas. Remove from heat and let cool down.
Meanwhile, on a floured work surface, roll out the dough. Line 4 pie plate and spoon the chicken filling into the crust. Brush around the dough with milk and cover with a second sheet of dough. Crimp the edges and froze.
Bon appetite!
Chef Caroline