Chicken Ham And Fennel Pot Pies Recipe Epicuriouscom

CHICKEN, HAM AND FENNEL POT PIES

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add fennel; cook 7 minutes. Add chicken and carrot; simmer until fennel, chicken and carrot are tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into strainer set over bowl; reserve broth for another use.
• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and whisk until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, fennel seeds and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add chicken mixture and ham. Season with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eight 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes or glass custard cups. Cool completely.
• Roll out pie crust on flour surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 8 rounds, each measuring 1/2 to 1 inch larger in diameter than soufflé dishes, gathering dough and rerolling as necessary. Cut out leaf decorations from dough scraps, if desired. Lay 1 dough overhang firmly to adhere to sides and top rim of dish. If using, brush bottom side of cutouts with water and place on dough; cut slits in dough for steam to escape. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover each with plastic; chill.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pies on large baking sheet. Brush crusts with glaze. Bake until pies heated through and crusts are golden, about 40 minutes.
• To make pie crust:
• Combine flour and salt in processor and blend. Add butter and shortening and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons water; blend in. Add enough additional water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Makes 8 small cups.

BEST HOMEMADE CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, salt, and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, until thick and creamy and vegetables have started to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and parsley until well combined. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• Place one crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling and place second crust on top. Press crusts together to seal around the edges and use fingers to crimp the dough. Cut small slits in the top and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Tent the edges with foil while baking if they become too brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN POTPIES WITH HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in the middle. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add carrot, onion, fennel, and fennel seed. Cook until carrot is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from heat; stir in chicken, ham, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eight 8-ounce ramekins or ovenproof bowls; set aside.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 15-inch round. With a 3 1/2-inch floured biscuit cutter, cut out eight rounds; place one on each ramekin. Transfer ramekins to a rimmed baking sheet; bake until filling is bubbling and crusts are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• To store: Prepare through step 3; let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil; store in freezer, up to 3 months.
• To reheat: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Uncover ramekins; bake on a rimmed baking sheet until bubbling and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN, HAM AND PEA POTPIES

Steps:

• Prepare dough: In a small bowl, combine 3 cups flour and diced butter. Put in freezer for 10 minutes. Using a food processor, pulse mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. With processor running, gradually add 2 eggs until mixture forms a ball; if necessary, add a little iced water.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and shape into four disks, making two slightly bigger than the others. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while making filling.
• Prepare filling: Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and melt butter. Whisk in 5 tablespoons flour and bouillon granules. Remove mixture from heat, and gradually whisk in milk to make smooth paste. Return pan to medium heat, and whisk constantly until simmering. Reduce heat to low; continue to whisk until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl, cover surface with dampened parchment paper; set aside to cool.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Put peas in a sieve and pour boiling water over them, draining well. Mix peas, chicken and ham into cooled white sauce.
• Assemble and bake pies: Place a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven. Set aside four 1 1/4-cup pie dishes about 1 1/2 inches deep. Halve each of the bigger disks of pastry. Roll each piece to a size big enough to line base and sides of a pie dish with a generous lip of pastry hanging over edge. Spoon equal portions of filling into each shell.
• Halve remaining two pieces of dough, and roll out to make four pie lids. Dampen edges of pastry with water, and place a lid on each pie. Using a knife, trim excess pastry from around sides. Seal edges of pies with tines of a fork, and decorate as desired with leftover dough scraps. Using a pastry brush, paint pies with beaten egg. With point of a knife, cut a tiny cross in center of each pie or make small diagonal slashes.
• Place pies on baking sheet and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. When pies are ready, use oven mitts to turn them upside down, remove them from their dishes and place on serving plates.