Savory Chicken Pot Pies

Yields 5 to 6 individual pies or 1 large pie

Crust

• 1 lb. unsalted butter
• 1 ½ lbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup cold water

Directions

1. Cut butter into small pieces.
2. Combine butter, flour, and salt in a large bowl.
3. With your hands, mix flour, butter, and salt together until butter is pea size. Do not overwork or crust will be tough.
4. Slowly add just enough water for mixture to come together and form a ball. It should be smooth and not tacky. Form dough into one large round or 5 to 6 small rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap, put in refrigerator, and let rest.

Note: Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

• 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
• ¼ lb. butter
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 1 tsp. finely chopped thyme
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• ¼ cup white wine
• ¼ lb. all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
• ½ cup buttermilk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn

Directions

1. Roast chicken. Let cool and pick meat, discarding the skin and bones. Make sure to reserve any chicken fat.
2. In heavy-bottomed pan, melt butter with chicken fat. Add carrots, celery, onion, thyme, nutmeg, Old Bay Seasoning, and wine. Sauté just until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in flour to make a thick paste. Turn heat to low, and stir in cold stock. Bring sauce back to a simmer and a thicker sauce will form. Fold in chicken meat and buttermilk. Bring back to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat, and stir in frozen peas and corn. Cool mixture completely before making the pies.
3. While mixture is cooling, roll out pie dough. Coat rolling area with all-purpose flour. Roll out 1 large or 5 to 6 individual rounds. (Size of each pie round depends on size of baking dish. Make sure to roll it larger than dish so you can crimp edges.)
4. When pie filling is cool, place in one large pie dish or 5 to 6 ramekins, and cover with dough. Neatly crimp edges of dough to form a seal around dish. Place in freezer, and freeze completely before baking.
5. Preheat oven to 350° F. Place frozen pie(s) on a sheet pan to avoid spills. Bake until golden brown and bubbly (1 hour or more).