Chicken Pot Pie - cooking recipe

Ingredients

ENGLISH PASTRY FOR CHICKEN POT PIES MEAT PIES ETC
2 cups sifted flour, sifted before measuring
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg yolk, unbeaten
FILLING
2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed (3 lb. chicken or 2 lb. of boneless breasts)
4 cups chicken broth, from cooking chicken (or canned)
3 carrots, cut crosswise into 1 slices 3/4 lb. small new potatoes\",quartered
2 stalks celery, cut crosswise into 1 \" slices
1 onion, chopped
3/8 cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (crumbled)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated--to taste)
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
salt and pepper
sliced water chestnuts (optional)
fresh mushrooms or canned mushroom (optional)

Preparation

Pastry: Sift the dry ingredients together, mix well and set aside.
Cut shortening into pieces as small as you can, and add boiling water.
Stir together lemon juice and egg yolk.
Add to melted shortening.
Combine with the dry ingredients.
Thoroughly mix and chill for at least 3-4 hours.
Pat out 3/4 of the pastry to line casserole.
Enough for one double-crust pastry shell or one 2-qt. maximum casserole.
For easier handling of the dough, pat it out between two pieces of waxed paper prior to chilling and then shape it to conform to the casserole while it is still in the waxed paper.
Finally, place the whole thing over the container and peel the paper off when needed.
After filling casserole with chosen ingredients, pat out remainder of pastry and use it for top crust.
Bake at 425\u00b0, 25 min.
TIP: The dough will be STICKY.
Flour your hands well prior to handling dough.
Filling: Boil and bone the chicken.
Cut into bite-sized pieces.
In saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the carrots, potatoes and celery.
Simmer the vegetables, uncovered, for 10-25 min.or until they are tender.
Transfer the vegetables with slotted spoon to a large bowl, reserving broth.
Add the chicken to the bowl.
Set aside.
In another saucepan, saute' the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring until it is softened.
Add the flour to make a golden-brown roux, stirring for 3 min.
Add 3 c.of the reserved broth in a stream and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking all the while.
Add the thyme and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 5 min.
Combine and add the nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Pour sauce over the chicken mixture and stir gently.
The filling may be made a day in advance and kept covered in refrigerator.
Just be sure to bring the filling to room temperature before you assemble chicken pie.
When ready to assemble the Chicken Pie, line baking dishes of choice with pastry.
Use a 2-qt.shallow baking dish or four 2-cup shallow baking dishes.
Carefully spoon in filling.
Cover top of baking dish with pastry crust and secure bottom crust by crimping.
Pierce top in several places to permit steam to escape and bake at 425\u00b0, 30 min.,
or until crust is golden-brown and contents are bubbly.
YIELD: 8 ample servings.
TIP: 3 c.Bechamel Sauce can be used instead of the roux and chicken broth.
simply combine Bechamel with butter, sauteed onions, thyme and nutmeg.
Pour over chicken mixture and gently mix to combine.