Chicken pot pie recipe cook-off: Chatelaine vs. chef Bobby Flay
The Chatelaine Kitchen
Creamy chicken with cheddar biscuits
Recipe notable: Our faster variation includes a colourful, healthy mix of sweet potato, red pepper and celery, and substitutes fussy pastry for easy, stir-together biscuits.
Prep 25 min
Total 1 hour 10 min
Filling:
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken
breasts cut into bite-sized
pieces, about 1 kg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small sweet potato, peeled
and cut into small cubes
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup frozen peas
Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup grated old cheddar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat 11/2 cups milk with thyme and 1 tsp salt in a large frying pan over medium-high. When simmering, add chicken. Cook, stirring often, until firm, about 6 min. Transfer chicken to a platter. Pour liquid out of pan and set aside.
2. Return pan to burner. Add oil, then sweet potato, celery, pepper and onion. Stir often until vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 3 min. Transfer vegetables to same platter as chicken.
3. Add butter to same pan. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup flour and cook 1 min. Gradually whisk in poaching liquid. Whisk until sauce is smooth and thickened, 2 to 3 min. Stir in peas, chicken and vegetable mixture. eason with pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer filling into an 8-in.-square baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
4. Stir 11/4 cups flour with baking powder, sugar and 3/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash in butter until rumbly. Stir in cheese. Whisk egg with 1/4 cup milk in a medium bowl. Pour egg mixture into flour and stir until just moistened. Turn out dough onto a floured counter and gently knead until it comes together. Shape into a log about 9 in. long and 21/2 in. wide. Slice into 9 rounds. Lay on top of the chicken mixture. Brush tops of dough with more milk.
5. Bake in centre of oven until biscuit tops are dark golden and filling is bubbly, about 25 min. Let stand 10 min before serving. Serves 6.
Per serving: 572 calories, 50 g protein, 38 g carbs, 24 g fat, 3 g fibre, 1,053 mg sodium. Excellent source of vitamin A.
Chef Bobby Flay
Smoky chicken with sweet potato crust
Recipe notable: Bobby's take switches up the classic with his signature bold southwestern flavours like chipotle peppers, which add smokiness and a gentle slow-building burn. The sweet potatoes make a silky-crisp crust with gorgeous colour.
Prep 1 hour 20 min
Total 1 hour 45 min
Crust:
1 sweet potato, cooked
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 eggs
1/2 cup 3.25% milk
Filling:
1 tbsp canola oil
375 g cremini mushrooms, about
4 1/2 cups, quartered
2 turnips, diced
2 carrots, thickly julienned
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 medium Spanish onion,
finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups 3% milk
2 tsp finely chopped chipotle
chili in adobo sauce
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf
parsley
4 1/4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Directions:
1. Spoon flesh of cooked sweet potato
into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork.
Measure out 1 cup. Let cool slightly in
bowl.
2. Stir 3 3/4 cups flour with salt and pepper
in a large bowl. Using the back of a fork,
mash in 1 cup butter until crumbly. Stir
1 egg and 1/2 cup milk into potato, then
add to flour mixture until just combined.
Transfer onto a lightly floured surface.
Lightly knead dough until it comes
together. Form into a disc and wrap
in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour
or overnight.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over
medium-high. Add oil, then mushrooms.
Cook until mushrooms are tender, about
5 min. Add turnips and carrots and
continue cooking until all the liquid has
been absorbed and vegetables are just
tender, about 5 more min. Stir in peas,
then transfer to a large bowl.
4. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same pan over
medium-high. Add onion and cook until
soft, about 3 min. Add garlic and cook
1 min. Stir in 1/4 cup flour and cook until
deep golden, about 3 min. Whisk in 4 cups
milk and cook, stirring, until sauce begins
to thicken, about 5 min. Reduce heat to
medium and cook, whisking occasionally,
until thickened, 7 to 8 min. Remove from
heat. Stir in chipotle, salt and parsley.
Add to vegetables along with chicken.
Season with pepper. Stir until combined.
5. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove dough
from refrigerator. Divide dough into
2 portions. Roll each portion out on
a lightly floured surface until 1/8 in. thick.
Invert individual oven-safe bowls on pastry
and cut circles around the outside of
bowls. Divide filling among the bowls and
top each with a pastry round. Press dough
around the rim to seal. Beat remaining
2 eggs with 3 tbsp cold water. Brush
tops of pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle
with pepper. With a knife tip, pierce the
middle of pastry in 2 or 3 places to allow
steam to escape. Arrange bowls on a
rimmed baking sheet.
6. Bake in centre of oven until pastry is
golden and filling is bubbly, 23 to 25 min.
Let stand about 5 min before serving. Serves 6 TO 8
Per serving: 849
calories, 40 g protein, 74 g carbs, 44 g fat,
7 g fi bre, 1,047 mg sodium.
Food editor Claire Tansey talks to Bobby Flay about how he develops a recipe. Click here to watch!
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