Chicken pot pie

Ingredients:

Chicken

• 1 roasting chicken weighing 0.9-1.3 kg, cut into pieces

Chicken pot pie

• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 medium carrots, peeled
• 1 large onion
• 55 g butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups lightly salted chicken broth
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 0.5 cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

Thyme dough

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 330 g chilled butter
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons of cold water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme

Preparation:

1. Chicken:
   
   First, place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pan. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Bouillon:
   
   Shred the chicken with two forks, removing the bones. Transfer the bones to the pan with the broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bones from the pan and discard.
3. Chicken pot pie filling:
   
   In a large saucepan or cauldron, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are translucent, a couple of minutes.
   
   Note:
   
   Cut the onion into small cubes, the celery stalks and carrots into narrow strips, then cut in the other direction to make a small cube.
4. Add 2 cups of shredded chicken and stir to distribute evenly. Sprinkle flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
5. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Add the bouillon cube and wine, if using. The combination of flour and chicken will create a delicious sauce. Then add the green peas.
6. Pour in the cream and stir. Let the mixture simmer over low heat until it gradually thickens, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and black pepper and remove from heat. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. The pot pie filling should be salty enough! Proceed to step 10 to prepare the thyme dough.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the pot pie dough from the freezer and let it defrost slightly, about 20 minutes. Prepare a deep pie pan.
8. Place the chicken filling in a deep pie dish or small saucepan. Roll out the dough so that its diameter is 2.5 cm larger than the pie dish.
9. Pot pie:
   
   Place the dough over the chicken filling and make small slits in the top. Gently press the dough against the sides of the pan to seal. I don't try to get a perfect edge on my chicken pot pie because a) it makes it look more rustic and b) I'm too lazy and hungry for that.Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
   
   

   Preparing for future use

   
   Let the filling cool completely, then cover with the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place the pot pie in the freezer. Remove the pot pie from the freezer, brush the dough with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or cream), and place in the oven preheated to 190°C (375°F). Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 35-45 minutes.
   

10. Thyme dough

    
    In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter, gradually cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. This step should take 3-4 minutes.
    
    Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then fold it into the batter. Then add the cold water and vinegar. Stir to evenly distribute the mixture, then scoop out half the batter from the bowl. You'll have two portions of pie dough. If you prefer a thinner crust, you can divide the dough into three.
    
    Place the dough in a large zip-lock plastic bag (do not seal) and flatten it lightly with a rolling pin. This will make it much easier to roll out in the next step. Once flattened, seal the bag tightly.
    
    Repeat with the other half of the dough and place the bags in the freezer. I like to make several batches of pie dough at a time and then freeze it so I always have it on hand..
11. For other recipes, remove the dough from the bag and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough outward from the center. Be gentle and patient; it will take a while for the dough to fully unroll.
    
    If the dough is sticking to the counter, lift it with a thin spatula and dust it with more flour. Then flip the dough over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center using single, outward strokes; no back-and-forth motions!
    
    Using a spatula again, lift the pie dough and carefully place it into the pie pan. Gently press the dough into the pan with your hands until it fits inside and hangs over the edges.
    
    Next, I simply tuck the excess dough under the edges. You can decorate the edge however you like, or leave it as is. It just looks more rustic this way!
    
    Fill the dough with your desired filling. Prepare the filling and pie crust ahead of time. Simply refrigerate them separately until ready to assemble and bake. Alternatively, assemble the pie completely, cover tightly, and freeze without baking.
    
    Bake according to the pie (pie) recipe. If you prefer to pre-bake the pie crust, line it with foil and fill it with pie weights (or dry beans). Bake at 200°C until golden brown, about 10 minutes.