Personal Pot Pies
Ingredients: (Makes approx 8 personal pies)
1-2 C. Chicken (Thigh or Breast, or whole roasted)
1 C. Peas
1 C. Corn (kernels)
1 C. Carrots (chopped)
1 C. Potato (chopped)
2-3 cloves garlic (diced)
1/4 C onion (Diced)
3-4 Tbsp Flour
4 C. Chicken broth
1/2 stick Butter
Spices to taste (S&P, Thyme, Rosemary, garlic)
Phillo dough or pre-made frozen pie crust for top
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line baking sheet with Foil (in case the pies bubble over, makes for easy cleanup), set aside. In oven safe large frying pan, lightly over bottom with olive oil & place chicken; season liberally with spices. Roast for Approx 45 min or until cooked (if using whole chicken, 45 min @ 400, baste & turn to 375, cook for 20 min, baste, cover with foil, cook for 30-40 more minutes or until juices run clear). *Tip: While the chicken is roasting, use this time to dice your veggies!
I usually use this as a good time to start heating the Chicken broth on the stove - I use a combo of Trader Joe's Savory Chicken Broth packets (thanks to my Mom for turning me onto these) + a few bullion cubes + a bay leaf + spices to taste. Cover and set on low, this will really get some flavor going for the broth.
Remove from oven, set chicken aside to cool. Once cool, cut into small pieces. Do not wash pan, place frying pan burner set to med heat. You want all the chickeny goodness stuck in the pan from roasting, this is called Fond. Now we're going to make the roux (pronounced roo) this is basically the gravy base for the pies. Add approx 1/3 stick of butter to pan. As the butter melts, use a whisk to stir; this will help unstick the fond and combine it with the butter. Once all the butter has melted & starts bubbling (keep whisking) add flour 1 heaping tbsp at a time - keep whisking! The roux color should look caramel, be the consistency of thick syrup and smell a bit nutty when it's just right. If it's clumping still, add a bit more butter, if it's runny, add a bit more flour. Now it's time to add the chicken broth (which should be hot!) slowly pour the broth onto the frying pan with the roux & KEEP WHISKING! You've just made gravy :)
Taste and season as needed. Allow to cook on med for a few minutes (if it seems like it isn't thick enough, cook down for longer, whisking occasionally). Now add chicken, carrots, peas, garlic, onion & potatoes. Stir until well mixed and allow to heat throughly. Ladle the mixture into the ramekins filling to just below the top.
For Crust: Before filling ramekins with Gravy, use them as a guide to cut out top (cut a little larger than the ramekin) I've used both Phillo & premade pie crust and I personally prefer the Crust, but here's the info for both ways:
For Phillo: Place tops onto each ramekin, push into gravy as needed (Phillo option pictured below) Melt the remaining butter in microwave, brush tops & bake @ 400F degrees for 30 min. Remove from oven to cool.
For Premade crust: allow to thaw while chicken is roasting. The crust may overlap the top of the ramefin, which is fine. Melt the remaining butter in microwave, brush tops & bake @ 375F degrees for 40 min. Remove from oven to cool.
*Golden Tips: I took the long route and instead of just oven roasting chicken breast/thigh I roasted a whole chicken. Instead of spending $8-10 per ramekin at William Sonoma/Target/etc, I recommend buying the pot pies or Mac & Cheese from Metropolitan Market; you get a meal, and get to keep the dish for about $5.99.
Oven-Baked Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
10-15 chicken legs
1 quart buttermilk
2 C. Flour
3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Remove skin from chicken. Pour buttermilk into large Stainless Steel mixing bowl. Add spices and S&P, mix thoroughly, add chicken to buttermilk (fully submerged) and allow to soak at min 1 hour (up to overnight) covered & in the fridge. Stir the buttermilk & chicken mixture 1/2 way through soaking. Prepare a roasting pan with a rack (you want the chicken off the bottom of the pan), spray the rack with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. In a pie dish (the tall sides contain the flour mixture better than on a plate) mix the flour & spices together. Even if it feels like you are adding too much of the spices, you aren't, the flour will dilute the flavors more than you think. Remove the chicken, and 1 piece at a time, shake off the excess buttermilk, roll in the flour mixture until fully covered, place on the rack in the roasting pan. Place roasting pan in over and bake 45-50 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool, enjoy!
NOTE: There are a lot of versions of this recipe online, and I will say that the chicken wasn't as crispy as I had hoped when it cooled (VERY crispy right out of the oven). Next time we're trying the version that uses no rack, and butter in the bottom of the roasting dish so you fry the chicken while it bakes, turning at 20 minutes & then finishing (same cooking time).
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| Dinner is Served! |
Golden Tidbit:
If you have $1000 to burn next time you are in NYC, stop by Serendipity 3 and order the Golden Opulence Sundae; it's actually in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007 as the worlds most expensive Sundae. Made with 23k gold and the worlds rarest chocolate, I think this dessert is a true once in a lifetime opportunity for a real Gold lover. You get to keep the Baccarat Crystal goblet, but no the 18k gold spoon. Don't forget to call ahead, they need 48 hours notice to get it ready for you!
Golden Quote: "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." Julia Child
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