I am having a hard time coming to grips with the switch from summer to fall.
It’s not that I don’t love fall. I adore fall. The fall air has healing powers. It is crisp and cleansing, burning just a bit when it enters your nose and hits the back of your throat. Everything buzzes with an energy that is absent during the lazy days of summer. On the rare days that the mercury travels north of 90 in the summer, I pray for the breezy, colorful days of fall.
Know when I’m not praying for fall’s chill? When I am having tea in a giant pumpkin and taking a rest on Little Miss Muffet’s tuffet, I want a little bit of warmth. Last weekend we made a pilgrimage to New England’s magical, sacred land of fantasy, Story Land. I was far more excited than my two year old, eager to let my inner child run free for a day, exploring real-life incarnations of all the fairy tales that matter.
However, it seems that my excitement made me blind to the fact that I was visiting the White Mountains in late September and that a paper-thin cardigan would do little if anything to shield me from fall’s chill. I froze my ass off. By the time we got home, the cold had settled into my bones. I couldn’t shake the cold no matter how many pairs of fake wool socks I layered under my Sherpa slippers.
Enter chicken pot pie. It’s the perfect dish for when you need to warm yourself from the inside out. The type of meal that you yearn for after a day of apple picking or sledding. The combination of sage and rosemary alone makes me feel cozy. They’re flavors that make you think of all things homey and inviting making this recipe a must-have for your list of cold-weather comfort foods.
PrintHomestyle Chicken Pot Pie
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
For Crust
- 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup cold Crisco
- 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cups of milk
For Filling
- 1 roasted chicken
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 2 cups frozen carrots
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 crushed chicken bullion cube
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
For the Crust
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[/url] - Sift flour and salt into large mixing bowl. Cut in butter and shortening using a pastry cutter until pea-sized balls form.
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- Beat egg yolk, setting aside the white. Beat egg yolk into the milk. Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, continuously tossing with a fork until all milk has been added. The dough will form large clumps rather than coming together into one piece of dough.
- Divide in half and form two balls of dough. Place in refrigerator until ready to roll out.
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[/url]For Filling
- Start by picking apart the roasted chicken and putting the meat in a large mixing bowl. I like to pick up a rotisserie chicken to make it quick and easy. Add frozen veggies to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.
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- In a deep skillet melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a thin paste forms.
- Slowly add in the milk and then chicken broth, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. When you first add the milk, a thick paste will form which is normal. Just keep adding the liquids and whisking.
- Once mixture is smooth, remove from heat. Add bullion cube, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage and rosemary to mixture and whisk until incorporated. Pour the gravy over the chicken mixture, toss and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out one ball of dough and line a deep 9 inch pie plate. Fill with chicken and gravy mixture. Roll out second dough ball and cover the pie plate. Crimp edges and cut away excess dough. Brush the top crust with the egg white that you set aside. Cover the outer edges with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
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I’m feeling the same way about fall. It’s my favorite season and one of the reasons I was so excited to move back to Maine, but I’m already feeling pretty darn cold at night. This pot pie looks like the perfect fall warmer though!
Shannon,
When I woke up one morning last week, it was 41 degrees! All I wanted to do was crawl deeper under my quilt!