Monday, April 25, 2011

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie - Better than Grandma's!

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Demo

HELPFUL TIPS:

When I make my chicken pot pies I like to freeze some for future meals. I have also found that if you put the bottom of the pot pie (after it has been filled) into the freezer and let it freeze completely first, it is easier to put the top on the frozen bottom. I still seal the top with a fork and cut the slits into the top and I brush on the egg wash before I put the pie back into the freezer. Once the pie is completely frozen again, I take it out and wrap in a plastic wrap making it convenient to store until I am ready to take it out and bake it.

I bake my frozen pies at 350 degrees also but I adjust my time to 50 – 55 minutes or until golden brown.








CHICKEN POT PIE FILLING

4 medium size boneless, skinless chicken breast halves – cubed and cooked

7 cups of Chicken Broth ( I like Pacific Foods)

2 cups of Half and Half or milk substitute

½ tsp finely ground black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

½ tsp Rosemary

2 tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp Thyme

2 tbsp of Lemon Juice

¼ Vidalia Onion finely chopped

¾ cup baby carrots chopped into small pieces

12 oz bag of frozen peas

2 ½ cups of potatoes cubed and cooked

8 tbsp of cornstarch(if you like your filling slightly thinner add 7 tbsp of cornstarch instead of 8)

DIRECTIONS

1) Add broth, onions, seasonings, lemon juice and carrots into a large cooking pot or large deep saute pan.

2) Bring ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.

3) Add cooked potatoes and frozen peas.

4) Add the cooked chicken as you continue to simmer ingredients together.

5) Reserve ½ cup of half & half or milk substitute and add the remaining 1 ½ cups to the simmering pot stirring ingredients together.

6) Add cornstarch to remaining half & half or milk substitute mixing well, making sure there are no lumps.

7) Add half & half / cornstarch mixture into the pot, stirring frequently and increasing the heat to bring the mixture back to a boil. Stir frequently until the mixture shows signs of thickening, then turn the heat off.

8) Let the filling cool.

9) Add filling when it is completely cool into unbaked pie crust.

10) After rolling out the pie dough top, place the top directly on the filled pie bottom. Trim the edges of the pie dough top with a pairing knife and then go around the edges of the pie crust with a fork to make sure the top is securely fastened to the bottom.

11) Beat an egg to make an egg wash and brush it onto the top of the pie crust using a pastry brush.

12) Cut three tiny slits into the pie crust top.

13) Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.


GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST

(modified from Rebecca Reilly’s GF pie crust recipe)



1 cup white rice flour or brown rice flour

1/2 sorghum flour

1/2 cup potato starch

3 tablespoons sweet rice flour

3 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (or, one stick) cold butter or cold Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Butter Flavored Shortening (I have been using Willow Run Soybean Margarine…..for dairy free the taste is better)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 ice-cold water, or enough to make the dough stick together



DIRECTIONS



Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar. Cut the butter into little pieces, about 1/4-inch thick and drop the pieces into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork, meld the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter has crumbled into pea-sized pieces.



Make a well in the dry ingredients. Drop the egg and apple cider vinegar in, stir them in with a fork, stirring from the center out. Once they are incorporated into the dry ingredients, slowly drizzle the ice-cold water into the mixture, a little at a time, stirring to see if it has become dough yet. You do not want this dough to be too wet. Add water only until it all coheres together. Knead the dough by hand to make sure you have a well incorporated mixture.



Break the dough into three or four small pieces, roll into a ball and refrigerate the ball of dough for as long as you can stand. Ideally, you would prepare the dough in the evening and refrigerate overnight. Take the dough out of the refrigerator about ten minutes before you want to work with it.

At this point, drop the ball of dough onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper. (Prepare this ahead, unless you want to wipe dough off the box of parchment paper later!) Place another piece of parchment or wax paper, the same size, on top of the dough. Gently, roll the dough outward adding flour as needed to keep from sticking to the paper, equally in all directions until it is a thin, round cake of dough, about the size of a pie plate. Roll it out as thin as you can, then strip the top piece of paper off the dough. Gently, lay your favorite pie plate on top of the dough, then flip the whole thing over. The dough should sag into the pie plate. You can crimp the edges at this point. If some of the dough falls off the sides, don't worry. Simply re-attach the pieces to the crust-to-be by pressing in with your fingers.

2 comments:

  1. Though she was a great cook, neither of my grandmas ever made Chicken Pot Pie -- LOL! But, that said, prior to eating gluten free, I learned to crave the wonderful Pot Pies at Marie Callender's Restaurant/Bakery in West LA -- and they were so yummy! I am not a baker, but these seem worth the effort! Thanks, Shelia!

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  2. Good job Shelia. The Chicken Pot Pie sounds and looks wonderful. I am not a pie baker but I think I could do one of these. Thanks for the effort!

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