entrees

There’s something really comforting about eating chicken pot pie. Especially when your significant other is gone for weeks at a time, and you are trying to figure out cooking for one. What will I actually eat four servings of in a week? Something with bacon for sure. Or maybe just a bag of chips with black beans and salsa poured on top. (I have done this).

It’s hard to cook for one! I don’t get the oohs and ahs of how great the thing I made was. We don’t sit at the table and talk about on a scale of one to ten how good dinner was. We don’t get to laugh about something funny we heard at the office or just repeat 30 Rock quotes to each other. It’s just me all by my lonesome, sometimes with a computer. Sometimes I just hover over the kitchen counter and eat something really fast, which is disgusting, and I should not do this. I like to say, eat like nobody’s watching haha.

But then I sometimes go all out to treat myself and make an amazing dinner for one, which I deserve. And I will actually sit at a table and eat my dinner like a human. That’s what this dinner is for. It’s a little extra work for a whole lot of flavor. Why haven’t people been putting bacon in pot pie all along?!  Plus bacon and sage are best friends and taste so good together. You have to try it. You could also eliminate both the chicken and bacon and have an excellent vegetarian pot pie. Regardless, you’ll love this dish.

Every good pot pie starts out with a roux. Butter and flour heated together into a lovely salty thickening agent. Then you’ll add some broth and milk.

If you don’t know how to cut a leek, now’s a good time to learn! Trim off the end with the hairs. Then cut off the leaves at the base of the dark green where they branch out. Slice the leek long ways down the center. Then peel off the outside layer. Slice horizontally very thinly.

I just pan seared the chicken on both sides until cooked through. Then I chopped it into cubes. Look how pretty my pie is! It tastes even better than it looks.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments.

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH BACON AND SAGE

Makes 1 pie, serves 4

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green beans, ends trimmed
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 potato, peeled and diced
6 slices of bacon
2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped finely
2 chicken breasts, cooked, cut into cubes
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp water

Directions:

To make the crust:

In a food processor add the flour, butter, and salt. Whizz for 5 seconds. Turn the food processor on and slowly trickle in the water while the food processor runs. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a fork to cut the butter into the flour and add the ice water while stirring. Then knead with your hands.) Once the dough starts to come together but is crumbly. Knead together on a floured surface until the no more floury crumbs appear. Roll into a ball and flatten into a disc. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until use.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Fill a saucepan with water and boil. Once boiling add the potatoes and cook for about 7 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside. Cut the bacon into small strips about 1/2 inch wide. In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently until browned. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain the grease into a jar. Wipe out the pan. In the same pan over medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, leeks, and sage, stirring frequently. Cook until the onions are translucent, about five minutes. Add the green beans and peas. Cook for another 3 minutes or so. In a large mixing bowl, add the vegetable mixture, potatoes, cooked chicken, and bacon. Mix together and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter until melted. Whisk in the flour until no dry flour remains. Add the chicken broth and whisk out all the lumps. Add the milk and turn down to low. Whisk frequently until the mixture resembles thin pudding. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the vegetable filling. Stir until everything is combined. Pour this into a pie pan.

On a well floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a large circle that just covers the pie pan. Gently place over the filling. Press the edges along the edge of the pan so that they adhere. Use a fork to indent the edges around the pie and help it to stick to the pan. In a small cup, whisk the egg and the water together. Use a brush to lightly coat the pie crust with the egg mixture.

Bake the pie for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let it cool slightly before serving.