Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

This recipe substitutes more vegetables for the dumplings. A regular prepared pie crust is very good, but the puffy pastry is elegant and delicious.

(remove meat from carcass & reserve 2 c. of the broth)
1/4 c. (1/2 stick)
butter 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced fine
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
2 c. cooked carrots, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
2 c. cooked green garden peas
1 recipe for prepared pastry shell or 1 lg. sweet prepared puff pastry
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp. cold water as a glaze

Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water. You may wish to add some fresh herbs, an onion and a carrot for enhanced flavor. Bring the pot to a boil and turn the heat down to medium. Continue cooking until chicken meat is tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from the pot, reserving 2 cups of the strained broth. After chicken has cooled remove meat and giblets and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan over moderate heat; blend in the flour, add milk and broth. Continue to heat, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Add the chicken meat and all seasonings, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in cooked carrots and peas, and turn the entire mixture into an ungreased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Prepare the pastry and roll into a circle about 3 inches larger than the rim of the casserole dish. Make 3 steam slits near the center of the pastry. Dampen the rim of the dish, fit the pastry dome over the top, roll the overhanging edges under, and crimp to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg glaze.

Bake the pot pie about 30-40 minutes or until top is browned and the pie is bubbly. If you use the puff pastry crust, the cooking time will be about 25 minutes. (You may wish to place the casserole dish on top of a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan to avoid spills.) To serve, cut wedges of the pastry and ladle the chicken mixture on top.

Serves 6.