Chicken Pot Pie

/ knsbruce / 1 Comment

This pie is one of our favorites because it is fun – it involves the whole family to make the filling and crust. This picture features a rough puff pastry pie crust courtesy of Woks of Life – check it out here: https://thewoksoflife.com/easy-rough-puff-pastry/.

We have also successfully made this pie with a gluten-free pie crust and vodka pie crust. It works with just about everything, although our favorite is the rough puff, as it provides a lot of flakey layers to complement the savory flavor of the filling.

This filling recipe is probably going to leave you with some leftovers, just stick them in a chicken soup or eat them in a bowl.

Ingredients

For the Filling

  • 1.5 lbs chicken cut into 3/4″ cubes
  • 1.5 cups celery chopped into 3/4″ pieces
  • 1.5 cups carrot cut into 3/4″ pieces
  • 1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1-1-1/2 cups chicken stock (we usually use Better than Bullion to make it)
  • 2-3 tbsp corn starch mixed in equal parts water

For the Pie Crust (if you are using your own recipe or buying crust, disregard)

Tools

  • One large saucier pan with lid
  • One 12″ pie pan
  • One large cutting board or pastry mat
  • One large rolling pin

Method

For the filling

  • Cut your meat, season with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and pepper flake if using
  • Cut your veggies, setting the onions apart from the celery and carrots
  • Heat your saucier pan to medium-low, add oil or butter to cover the bottom of the pan
  • Put your onions in the pan, sautéing for 1-3 minutes until slightly translucent
  • Put your chicken in the pan and brown on all sides. This might take a while as there is a lot of chicken
  • Add your other veggies and cook for 2 minutes
  • Add your chicken stock and bring to a simmer. You only want enough stock to almost cover your filling. Too much and your pie will be soggy, you want 1/4″ of your filling to poke out from the stock
  • Simmer for 5 minutes, bring pan to low
  • Add your cream and mix
  • Add corn starch mixture a little at a time and thicken the sauce. You want a very thick sauce, so make it a bit thicker than a normal gravy
  • Simmer for a couple more minutes, and set aside while you work on your dough

Spaghetti Sauce

/ krby4 / Leave a comment

Ingredients

  • 2lbs lean ground beef, elk, or venison
  • 6 15oz cans of organic tomato sauce
  • 3 15oz cans of organic diced tomatoes
  • 3 15oz cans of organic italian style stewed tomatoes
  • 2tbsp dried oregano
  • 2tbsp dried basil
  • 1tbsp dried rosemary
  • 1tbsp dried thyme
  • 2tsp ground sage
  • 2tsp celery salt
  • 4tbsp sea salt
  • 1tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Equipment

  • 8 quart or bigger pot with lid
    • OR instant pot

Method

  • Brown the meat with all of the dry ingredients making sure to break the larger chunks into smaller ones. I like chunks of meat around the size of a pea, but the size is up to your preference
  • Dump the cans of sauce, diced tomatoes, and stewed tomatoes into your pot
  • If you are using an instant pot, put the pot in the “Soup” setting for 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • If you are using a large stockpot, stir once an hour and cook on low for 2-4 hours
  • Taste the sauce, if you think it is missing something add more and cook for an additional 20 minutes

Additional Notes

This sauce freezes excellently and can be used for up to 6 months if you freeze it in a properly sealed container.

Chile Colorado

Ingredients

  • 1 (one) 2 lb.-2.5 lb. Chuck Roast
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 10-12 dried chile de arboles
  • 1 (one) 7oz. can of Chile in Adobo
  • 1 (one) 12oz can of Diced Tomatoes
    • or 4-6 Roma Tomatoes
  • 2 cups water and 1.5 Tbsp Beef Bullion
    • OR 2 cups Beef Broth
  • 1-2 Tbsp crushed garlic
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1-3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with double the amount of water

Tools

  • Cast iron dutch oven
    • OR large pan and Instant Pot
  • Blender

Method

  • Steep the chile de arboles in boiling water for at least 30 minutes.
  • While the peppers are steeping, cut the beef into 3/4″-1″ squares.
  • Toss the beef with 1tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, and flour to coat.
  • Brown beef on both sides in batches. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan or you won’t get a good sear.
    • If you are using a cast iron Dutch oven, set beef aside as you will need to brown all the beef before putting it back in the Dutch Oven.
    • If you are using an Instant Pot, you can go ahead and just put it straight in the pot.
  • Either while browning the meat or afterwards, throw the steeped peppers, tomatoes, and can of chile in adobo into your blender along with the broth.
    • Blend until smooth.
  • There will likely still be some chunks of chile de arbol. You can leave these in or put your sauce mixture through a sive.
  • Put your mixture into your cooking pot. If cooking in an Instant Pot, put it on the “Meat/Stew” setting for an hour and a half. If you are using a Dutch oven, heat on low anywhere from 2-6 hours.
  • Serve with Spanish rice, beans, and tortillas.

Chile Colorado

/ knsbruce / Leave a comment