Chicken Pot Pie

Welcome to New England! It seems fitting that my first post from my new home, Portland, Maine, should be a New England staple. Actually, this is the first chicken pot pie I have ever made. I grew up on chicken and biscuits, an alternate to the classic pie form and my go-to comfort meal. I figured, how hard can it be? I make a very tasty pie pastry and the filling is the same. The result: a flakey crust surrounding the rich creamy filling.

A few tips: after cooking the chicken, do not clean the pan – the browned bits that remain will serve as the base for the sauce. In a pinch, you can forego making your own sauce: simply skip the flour and substitute one can cream of chicken soup for the milk; add water to reach desired creaminess.

Serves 3 to 4
Active Time: 1 hour, Total Time: 1 hour 20 min
Oven Temp: 450°F

1 recipe Pastry Dough, double crust

¾ lb boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1¼ c milk
½ c water
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
1 large carrot
1 celery stock
¾ c frozen peas
salt & pepper to taste

Corn Chowder with Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Bacon makes everything taste better, but a veggie version would still make for a great meal. You could half the biscuit recipe, but who wouldn’t want leftover biscuits? I went all out and made my own broth from the remnants of a roast chicken. Super easy: simmer chicken bones in large pot of water with a few vegetables and herbs for about an hour; cool, strain out the solids and portion into freezer bags for convenient use at a later date!

Serves 2, Makes 8 Biscuits
Active Time: 40 min, Total Time: 55 min
Oven Temp: 450°F

4 bacon slices

For the Soup:

½ small onion
1 celery stick
2 garlic cloves
2 small red potatoes
2 tbsp flour
1 c chicken broth
1 c milk
14-oz can corn
1 tsp dried savory
ground black pepper
fresh parsley

For the Biscuits:

2 c flour
2 tbsp cornmeal
2 tsp baking power
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp dried savory
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp vegetable shortening
⅔ c buttermilk*
½ c shredded cheddar cheese