Monday, September 30, 2013

Aimee’s Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

We got to sample Kary’s Roux products and I decided to use the dry powder to make my chicken pot pie. I say it’s MINE but truly, I've been trying to recreate the chicken pot pie they used to serve way back at my first job. It was 1987, and I applied for a job as a hostess at a restaurant near my home. It was called The Silver Spoon, and they made 3 different pot pies: beef, chicken and seafood. I don’t think I ever ate anything other than the chicken. It was SO good and the pastry always puffed up several inches off the bowl. It was wonderful. I have been trying to recreate them over the years and even though I don’t make my own pastry, they’re still quite good. Not the same, but pretty darn good!


Aimee’s Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
by Aimee

makes 2 Servings 


1/2 cup diced carrot 
1/2 cup diced yellow onion 
1/2 cup chopped fresh green beans 
1 Tablespoon butter 
1 Tablespoon Kary's Dry Roux
3/4 cup milk 
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch chunks 
2 teaspoons dried tarragon 
salt and pepper to taste 
pinch of nutmeg
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)

I prefer my vegetables to be soft in this dish, so I boil the carrots until tender. I also saute the onion until it’s soft.  I had some fresh green beans that I blanched and froze about a month ago, so I took those out to add in here. You can always use any assortment of frozen vegetables. I always like to have onion, carrots and something green. Peas work great, too! 

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk in Kary’s Dry Roux. Stir for 3 minutes and add milk and chicken broth. It will take several minutes to thicken, but be patient and don’t adjust heat. Add chicken. When the mixture has thickened add in your pre-cooked vegetables and seasonings. 

I have great little crock bowls that I always use for this dish. Ladle the warm pot pie mixture into small oven proof bowls. Cut an appropriately-sized square from your puff pastry sheet and set on top. Brush with egg wash and bake at 375°F until the top is golden brown (about 25 minutes). I always like to grate some cheddar cheese on top too!

7 comments:

  1. Do you pre-cook the chicken before adding? Will it the chicken cook thoroughly in the oven?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read the recipe..it says to add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce mixture

      Delete
    2. I was a manager in Atlanta recruited to assist in redirecting the concept in 1989 ... Here's specifics about the pot pie recipe. Every night a huge 5 gallon stock pot or chicken broth was put on a flat iron stove. Throughout the daily prep all scraps of onions celery and (including skin and leaves) were saved in the pot. We used fresh chicken carcasses and a spice bag with tarragon Bay leave, sage etc tied in cheesecloth .... filled the pot with water and it literally cooked overnight when the restaurants were closed.

      It was this savory chicken stock that made the pot pie sauce so rich and velvety.

      The stock was skimmed and filtered through a china cap every morning. I was the base of every soup and sauce made in the restaurant. morning.

      Make the roux .... add the stock gradually and then the cream at the end.

      The chicken used was boneless skinless white meat pieces that were poached ( I think we had a streamer in the prep kitchen) then cut in 1/4 inch pieces and taken to the cook line. the only vegetable in the SS pot pie was steamed carrots.

      At point of order ... a 6 oz ladle of sauce was portioned in a heavy ironstone type soup bowl ... The bowls were held warm ...
      a quarter cup of chicken and some carrots went into the sauce/bowl ... the puff pastry piece(previously cut ...8 pieces to a pastry sheet) was held cold and secured to the rim of the warm bowl.

      A sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a few sliced almonds were added and placed in a very hot 400 degree oven.

      Again it is the chicken stock with the fresh carcasses and spice bag cooked minimally 8 hours is what made the sauce so rich ... poaching the chicken keeps it plump and non greasy ... steaming the carrots also enables them to be soft and hot ...

      HINT: The purpose of the cheese was it's quick melting point which enabled the pastry to puff and brown quickly.

      The young corporate chef who created most of SS recipes is named Gary Vitale ... they were headquartered in Atlanta ... but a division of Morrison Inc (the cafeteria people out of Mobile AL) and once owned by the Beale family who currently own and operate the very tony Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. https://www.blackberryfarm.com/

      Delete
  2. Aimee: I’ve been looking for the Silver Spoon Chicken Pot Pie recipe for 30 years. I offered a waiter $100 for the recipe one time in Birmingham. He gave me a list of ingredients instead (felt guilty) for which I gave him $40. I wasn’t a very good cook at the time so the list was useless (no qtys). One ingredient I do remember was White Wine though. I hope to come across the list one day and will share it with you. Meanwhile I’m going to try yours.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Aimee- I was a manager at Silver Spoon, and can offer you a couple of modifications that may help with the authenticity-
    Make a roux from butter and flour, add chicken stock, heavy cream instead of milk, and add white wine to broth, seal puff pastry around the crock so no steam escapes (I THINK we had to moisten the bowl around the edges to get the seal—top with cheddar, (as you said), and sliced almonds. Not sure of measurements, as I haven’t made it in 30 years, and we made in huge quantities. My hubby mentioned that he wanted one yesterday, and I was searching for a recipe! I’ll definitely use yours for measurements- thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was a manager also in Atlanta . Fond memories of cooking that roux and cranking all those beautiful puff pastry dishes out of the ovens . I’ve been looking for the recipe for over 30 years too! Finally I’m going to combine Aimee’s , another on I like and your tips from the real thing . Thanks so much .

      Delete
  4. We used to drive from Maryville to have Silver Spoons pot pie. My wife got the chicken & I got the seafood. Some of the best stuff I ever put in my mouth

    ReplyDelete