This is adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe, which was in turn adapted from “Julia and Jacques at Home” by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. The photo is from a similar recipe at Bev Cooks.
- 1 pie crust, home-made or a ready-made roll-out crust
- Or 2 puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped up
- 5 T. butter
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion or leek or shallot
- 1 T. chopped fresh tarragon
- I used Penzeys Parisien Bonnes Herbes, which is tarragon-forward
- plus garlic and pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup corn, canned or frozen
- 4 T. flour
- 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
Poach chicken in water to just cover, about 20-30 minutes. I used these seasonings: poultry seasoning, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper, and a bit of granulated chicken bouillon. Save the broth and cut up the chicken to near-bite-size chunks.
To make the filling, melt 2 T. butter and cook carrot, celery, onion and tarragon until slightly softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. (I didn’t add seasoning at this step, added them into the roux.) Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with chicken.
Melt 3 T. butter. Whisk in flour and cook until mixture bubbles and smells cooked, stirring so it doesn’t brown. Whisk in 2 cups broth and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook 2 or 3 minutes until thickened. Add seasonings to taste. Use additional 1/2 cup broth if the sauce seems too thick.
Add the sauce to the chicken and vegetables and mix to combine. Transfer to baking dish. I used a 9×13 pan. (You could probably do this as a one-pot prep, e.g. in a dutch oven.)
Place the pie crust on top of the filling and cut a few vents. You may need to stretch out the crust to fit the pan you’re using, but it works fine to leave a few gaps. Brush the crust with egg wash (1 egg whisked with a tsp. of water).
If using puff pastry, cut into shapes, as in the photo, and arrange over the top.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
recipes from lynne 