I’ve been wanting to try this for a few weeks. I saw a similar recipe in a recent issue of Cook’s Country magazine and it reminded me of a pot pie that was served in the lunchroom of our elementary school back in the late 1960s in the NC mountains (back when they actually cooked stuff in elementary school lunchrooms). The magazine version used a homemade sour-cream pie crust, this version uses pre-made crusts.
2(10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise 3(5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup milk 2 prepared pie crusts 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.
- Line pie plate with one of the pie crust rounds. Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.
- When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve pie with gravy.
With a tip of the hat to the folks at Cook’s Country