chicken pot pie

this is primarily a note to self as sometimes i forget how i "did" certain things and can't find that little scrap of paper.

but, this past weekend i made chicken pot pie ... with a rescue from my cooking goddess.

a couple of days before i roasted the chicken. i did that for the first time back in march. the skin was so good that i ate it straight out of the oven!


roasted chicken

1 chicken 3.5 lbs
1/2 lemon
kosher salt & ground pepper
thyme, rosemary, basil

preheat oven to 450*

1. rub inside of bird w/cut lemon.
2. season inside & out with s&p.
3. put herbs in bird, tie legs together.
4. place bird on a roasting rack in pan. roast until skin is golden and crackling crisp (35-40 min).
5. reduce oven temp to 350* and roast for 25 to 30 min. longer.
6. test doneness by piercing bird in the thickest part of thigh - juices should run clear.
7. transfer to cutting board and let rest 10 to 15 min.
8. try not to eat all the skin!

chicken pot pie

shredded chicken
1/2 onion chopped
2 or 3 stalks of celery chopped
1 can of sliced carrots
frozen peas
chicken broth
fresh made biscuit dough

1. saute onions and celery
2. toss in 9" square pyrex dish with shredded chicken
3. mix in carrots and peas
4. make a gravy with the chicken broth and mix in dish too.
5. season generously
6. top with fresh biscuit dough and cook at 425* until biscuit top is done.

jackie's perfect biscuits

2 c. sifted flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 T shortening chilled (or lard)
3 T butter chilled
3/4 c. cold whole milk
flour for working surface

1. preheat oven to 425*
2. sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in mix bowl.
3. cut in cold fats.
   
4. dump in cold milk & stir quickly (10-12 strokes).
5. turn dough on floured surface. knead lightly (6-12 strokes) so not sticky.
6. pat out or roll out about 3/4" thick. use 2.25" cutter dipped in flour.
7. place biscuits close together w/out touching on ungreased bake sheet.
8. bake 12 to 15 min until risen and lightly browned.

but, for the pot pie, form to cover the dish. if making pot pie in a bigger rectangular pan, then make 1.5 x recipe.

for pot pie .... bake 15 min. check it. add 3 min. increments.

so, what i was going to say was i made chicken pot pie. i tried to cheat and use canned dough, but i had oven temp. problems and only cooked the dough on top and it was a mushy mess underneath. i called jackie in a distressed state and she had me stop by the store and pick up some milk so she could show me how to properly make the biscuit dough. it wasn't as difficult as i thought it might be :) and it's delicious!

speaking of cheating ... i also made cheater chili today. how do you do that?
well ... some ground turkey, a can of chili magic texas style, can of black beans, can of diced tomatoes, little can of diced green chilis, and an onion. easy and delicious !