Despite it being such a hot day, I had a hankering for chicken pot pie (with a cheesy crust by the way) this evening, lol. Again, I decided to bake the pot pies on the grill….. no way was I going to turn on the oven inside the house. We sweated while we ate, hahaha but the pot pies were awesomely delicious!
Chicken Filling {adapted from the Chicken Pot Pie recipe in the Southern Living 30 Years of Our Best Recipes cookbook}
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions (about 4 small onions)
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 medium carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson)
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 to 3½ cups chopped rotisserie chicken
Salt to taste
10 ounces frozen peas or fresh snow peas (if using snow peas, trim off tips, pull along the sides of the pod to remove the string, and cut into 1-inch length)
Cheddar Pastry (recipe below)
Lightly oil whatever baking dish or bowls you wish to use. Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the chicken broth and pepper and cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly, again stirring constantly. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and stir in chicken and peas. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish/bowls.
Roll out pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Arrange dough across top of the filling, letting it hang over the side of the dish slightly. Trim off excess dough and crimp edges with a fork. Cut four 1 to 2-inch slits in the top of the dough. Set the pot pie on a baking sheet that is lined with aluminium foil for easy clean-up (the pot pie may bubble over as it bakes) and bake at 400F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.
Cheddar Pastry
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 to 12 tablespoons ice water
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, folding the dough together, shaping it into a disk. Place in a container and chill until needed.
