Ideas knock about inside my skull like bowling balls hitting pins or landing in gutters. If you ever saw me bowl, you’d understand that my ball lands everywhere.
Two weeks ago, I craved chicken pot pie, but most recipes leave me flat and underwhelmed. Usually, they are a poorly-flavored velouté sauce with peas, carrots, and, if you are lucky, some chicken bits. That wasn’t for me. I wanted something that knocked all the pins over. This one was a strike.
PORTUGUESE-INSPIRED CHICKEN POT PIE
NOTE: Feel free to use a pre-made crust or biscuits. Mine was gluten-free, which means it wasn't flakey. My guest was less than thrilled with the texture but applauded the flavor.
INGREDIENTS
GLUTEN-FREE LEMON ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CRUST
(Adapted from Béatrice Peltre’s LA TARTINE GOURMAND.)
80 g (⅔ cup) millet flour
40 g (⅓ cup) oat flour
60 g (⅓ cup) brown rice flour
40 g (⅓ cup) almond flour
5 g (1½ teaspoons) xanthan gum
10 g (1 Tablespoon) sugar
3 g (¼ teaspoon) salt
1 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, no stem, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, no stem, minced
60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 to 5 Tablespoons water
PORTUGUESE-INSPIRED FILLING
2 slices bacon, cut into lardons
4 ounces raw chorizo sausage
½ red onion, peeled and minced
2 shallots, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, stem trimmed, before quartering
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and small diced
salt and pepper
1½ teaspoons pimentón or smokey paprika
2 lemons, zested and juiced
16 ounces cooked chicken, skin and bones removed, shredded
12 ounces chicken stock
2 ounces of potato starch
1 8-ounce bag of frozen carrots and peas
a 10-inch+ crust of choice
1 - 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
buttered baking dish to put the filling
METHOD
GLUTEN-FREE LEMON THYME OLIVE OIL CRUST
Combine the flours, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, and herbs in a food processor.
Pulse to combine.
Add the olive oil and egg.
Pulse until it starts to form a dough.
Add the water a tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball.
Generously flour your counter, hands, and rolling pin.
Roll the dough out into a circle that will fit the pan you use for the chicken pot pie.
Refrigerate the crust while you make your filling.
PORTUGUESE-FLAVORED FILLING
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a pot, render the bacon and sausage over medium heat.
Remove the bacon and sausage to a bowl and reserve.
Add the onion and shallot to the oil and sauté until they begin to caramelize.
Stir in the garlic and sauté until it begins to bloom.
Stir in the mushrooms and red bell pepper.
Reduce the temperature to low.
Cover with a lid and sweat the mushrooms and bell pepper for five minutes.
Remove the lid and season with salt, pepper, and pimetón.
Cook for about a minute before adding the lemon juice.
Reduce the lemon juice to almost dry before stirring in the reserved bacon, sausage, zest, and chicken.
Stir in 8 ounces of chicken stock to the pot and bring the pot to a bubbling simmer.
Whisk the potato starch into 4 ounces of chicken stock to make a slurry.
Stir in the chicken stock slurry into the chicken mixture to thicken it.
Return the mixture to a bubbling simmer to allow it all to thicken.
Taste it and adjust the seasoning.
Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish.
Top with the crust.
Brush the crust with a bit of heavy cream to help it brown.
Cut slits into the crust to allow the steam to escape.
Place the baking dish onto a foiled sheet pan to catch any drips.
Bake for at least 1 hour, but it could take up to 2 hours. Your goal is an internal temperature of 165°F.
If the crust begins to darken too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
When the pot pie is cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes before serving.
We loved this filling! Chicken Pot Pie is a winter favorite here and this variation was very well received.
Oh yes. I love me a chicken pot pie and this one sounds absolutely delicious. I'll cheat and use a frozen pie crust dough as I suck balls at pie crusts. ;-)
On an aside, I am LOVING the South-African chicken.