Way back in the Congressional Cookbook, a terrific Chicken Pie recipe

Recently as I thumbed through one of my mother’s cookbooks that she had used widely in my childhood, Hubby asked whether I remembered that we possessed his mother’s Congressional cookbook. How cool for us to prepare a recipe from it some time, Hubby commented.

I located it on another shelf and noted that one of his all-time favorite dishes (as I've mentioned many times in this blog), Chicken Pot Pie, was furnished to the cookbook by Mrs. Will Rogers, wife of the U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma and a friend of Louis' mom. Mrs. Rogers (whose husband was no relation to the legendary Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers) lived in Washington D.C. during the FDR era when Grandmother Moore lived there and was a stenographer for several government agencies. 

The Congressional Cookbook (circa 1933), compiled with recipes from the wives of governmental luminaries in that day, had yellowing pages and a frayed cover, but it was filled with wonderful vintage recipes that still make up into beautiful dishes. 

My biggest delight was walking to my backyard garden and pulling up the 12 small onions called for in this recipe. They were just the right size--small, gorgeous bulbs that I quickly steamed in the microwave and then laid on the bottom of the prepared casserole. Seasoning for the broth included fresh-cut parsley from my herb row by my back steps. Couldn't get better than this!

Grandmother Moore's cookbook and her friend's recipe sprang alive for this incredible meal.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups cooked chicken

12 small onions, cooked and diced

1 cup diced carrots, cooked

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth, seasoned to taste (I used pepper, salt substitute, and fresh parsley)

6 tablespoons water

biscuit dough (I used Bisquick low-fat baking mix to make dough)

Arrange the chicken, onions, and carrots in a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole; meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the chicken broth. Stir in flour that has been mixed to a smooth paste with the water; boil 5 minutes. Stir frequently until sauce is thickened. Pour this sauce over the chicken and vegeteables. Prepare the biscuit dough. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness; cut biscuits into rings; arrange on chicken. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

How comforting is this? Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits. Wow!

I could tell that the Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits was labor-intensive (i.e, lots of chopping, mainly). Who but Hubby would be more interested in the outcome? After all, Chicken Pot Pie is his favorite dish. So I humored him a little and promised that I’d mention his name in my blog today if he’d be willing to help a little in the kitchen. He rose to the bait!

Boy, was he glad he did! Many minutes later (every vegetable in the produce department, practically, went into the mix) he was dining on this steamy, savory comfort-food dish with its tasty bacon-cheddar topping and tossing out enough superlatives to fill a dictionary. Wow!

Southern Living (January 2012 issue) really outdid itself with its section of shortcut chicken suppers, which included this recipe. The magazine recommends using grocery deli chicken to speed things along, but I boiled some chicken breasts so I’d have the homemade (and salt-free) broth to go along with them. The recipe called for Creole seasoning; I didn’t have this but did have Mrs. Dash chicken grilling seasoning that I subbed. It was excellent. Fresh parsley for the Chicken Pie Filling and fresh chives for the biscuits really livened things up.

Hands-on time: 50 minutes, the recipe says. Having a buddy in the kitchen really helped speed this up. Best of all, the recipe, baked in a 13-inch-by-9-inch dish, will last us the rest of the week (6-to-8 servings, says the list of instructions). I know that this little meal will only get better as the week progresses.

Chicken Pie Filling

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)

1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cups frozen cubed hash browns

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 cup frozen small sweet peas

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and milk and cook, whisking constantly, for 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in Creole seasoning. Set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce. Then prepare topping as instructed below.

Bacon-and-Cheddar Biscuits (topping)

Spoon chicken filling into a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. In separate bowl cut 1/2 cup cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut butter cubes into 2 cups self-rising flour with a pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly and resembles small peas. Add 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon (I used turkey bacon), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, and 1 cup whipping cream (I used skim milk). Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 3 or 4 times. Roll or pat dough to 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to form 15 biscuits. (I skipped this rolling step and simply spooned 15 big tablespoons of batter onto the top of the chicken mixture. When baked my topping looked just like the one in the magazine and saved me the trouble of the pastry-roll step—and the cleanup.) Bake Chicken Pie Filling at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and arrange biscuits on top of hot chicken mixture. Bake 25 to 30 more minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven; brush biscuits with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Does “weeknight-easy” have an appeal? That and terrific flavor both accompany this pot-pie recipe.

This week I passed the 300-mark in term of blog entries in “The Newfangled Country Gardener”. If I were to ask my hubby to reflect on these featured items and to name his absolute fave, he’d quickly reply that it was any recipe that pertained to making chicken-pot pie, his always-first-choice for a meal. It has been ever since I first met him when he was 21 (just yesterday!). He’s traveled all over the world (45-plus foreign countries and the 48 continental states) and sampled some of the finest cuisine anywhere, yet his “heart dish” never wavers. I knew he would adore this upcoming selection.

Southern Living’s “Mama’s Way or Your Way?” feature pairs classic, usually from-scratch recipes with updated, often simpler and quicker versions of that same dish. I always enjoy these selections and usually end up cooking both versions. I had torn out a page from the February 2011 issue which featured “Stovetop Chicken Pie”. Since these days we’re all high on the hunt for stovetop recipes so we can avoid overloading the heat grid in our broiling-temp afternoons, I was glad I had saved this suggestion. Plus I knew Hubby would be beyond pleased to have this meal set in front of him.

Cooked chicken bits, fresh mushrooms, and frozen green peas are cooked in a simple sauce of cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, white cooking wine, less-fat cream cheese, and part of an envelope of Italian dressing mix. The whole process from start to finish is 35 minutes. Dinner in no time.

This mixture can be topped with frozen buttermilk biscuits that have been baked or can be served over cornbread or cornbread waffles, hot cooked pasta, baked potatoes, or pecan wild rice. We had cornbread on hand and some leftover whole-wheat dinner rolls, so I used these instead of breaking out a can of buttermilk biscuits.

This recipe makes just oodles and oodles of this delicious chicken topping, so we’ve already enjoyed it for two nights now and are onto a third. (This is one dish of leftovers Hubby would never mind seeing ad infinitum.) It is flavorful and well-seasoned. As SL describes it, Stovetop Chicken Pie is “weeknight easy”. Who wouldn’t like that?

Stovetop Chicken Pie

8 frozen buttermilk biscuits

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup

1 cup low-sodium chicken both

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less fat cream cheese, cubed (I used Neufchatel)

1/2 (.7-ounce) envelope Italian dressing mix (about 2 teaspoons)

1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed

Bake biscuits according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-high heat sauté onion in hot oil. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in peas and cook 2 minutes. Spoon chicken mixture over hot, split biscuits (or over cornbread, waffles, cooked paste, baked potatoes, or wild rice). Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Bucket (or Birthday) List includes old-fashioned favorite with healthy veggies inside

If Hubby had a Last Meal plugged into his bucket list, it would, of course, be Chicken Pot Pie. So in planning what dish would be a fitting finale to his birthday “season” which concluded this week with, finally, the Big Day, the choice was a no-brainer—Chicken Pot Pie, except this time I went for the gold. Southern Living recently featured a pot-pie recipe that was to be cooked “Mama’s Way”—usually this means from scratch as opposed to “Your Way”, which might contain convenience foods and other time-savers to prepare the recipe. Mama’s Way was a little time-consuming but worth it.

It involved making a two-crust pie crust recipe (my standby, “Easy Pie Crust” from my Way Back in the Country cookbook). With this ready I prepared the stuffing: leeks sauted in butter and then removed, with flour and broth added to the base to make a creamy sauce. Into the sauce went matchstick carrots, the sautéed leeks, shredded chicken, fresh parsley, and frozen cubed hash browns with onions and peppers. Once the top pastry crust was added and edges sealed and fluted, a wash of egg and water was brushed on the top to ensure good browning. Headed into the oven the pot pie looked as though it had the potential for being awesome, but time (almost a full hour of baking, actually) would tell.

All I can say is, Hubby was one happy camper when the entree for his Birthday Supper was brought forth and set in front of him. He’d never had a Chicken-Pot Pie that called for leeks and fresh parsley; he believed that these definitely made the difference in creating a tasty pie.

Hubby was ready to turn 65 all over again just so he could have this dish. Dynamite!

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 cup butter

2 medium leeks, sliced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 (14.5-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (or homemade broth)

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups frozen cubed hash browns with onions and peppers

1 cup matchstick carrots

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

ingredients for 1 (2-crust) pie recipe

1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter; add leeks, and sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients. Roll out pie crust; fit 1 crust into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate; spoon chicken mixture into pastry. Place remaining pastry sheet over filling in opposite direction of bottom sheet; fold edges under, and press with tines of a fork to seal. Whisk together egg (or egg substitute) and water; brush over top of pie. Bake at 375 degrees on lower oven rack for 55 to 60 minutes or until browned. Let stand 15 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Maturing of the taste buds paved the way for enjoying Chicken Pot Pie

Never too late for the taste buds to mature, I say. In my childhood, youth, young- and even middle-adulthood, the idea of Chicken Pot Pie sounded like the idea of eating dirt. I couldn't imagine throwing veggies, chicken, and a sauce together and topping it with a biscuit. The dish was one of Hubby's favorites; a few random times in our marriage I grudgingly made it for him, but I'd pop some fish sticks into the oven on the side so I wouldn't have to eat Chicken Pot Pie myself at the upcoming meal. Putting things mildly, to me Chicken Pot Pie was gross.

I remember the day things changed for the better. The occasion was Hubby's birthday a few years back; I wanted to make him a special dinner but didn't have time to race to the grocery. I had to use ingredients I had on hand. A recipe for Chicken Pot Pie rose to the surface. Of necessity I prepared it. For reasons I can't explain, suddenly I saw this dish in a different light. It looked healthy and soothing every bit like the comfort food it was. That night I didn't fix my side entree so I could sneak myself option; I served myself Chicken Pot Pie. Delicious! Why had I been depriving myself of this great dish?

The rest is history. Not long ago the Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services, one of my greatest sources of recipes, provided the following recipe that brims with fresh veggies. If Hubby liked Chicken Pot Pie, he'd adore one prepared from a recipe card provided by "his people" (remember that Hubby is a citizen and elder of the Chickasaw Nation). This time it's my upcoming birthday, and not Hubby's, we're celebrating, but I can't think of a better birthday meal to get ready for myself. I'm thankful for the maturing of the taste buds that broadened my horizons to include this wonderful food.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups low-fat bakery mix (tried with low-fat Bisquick)

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup fat-free egg product

2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans reduced sodium cream of chicken soup

1 cup fat-free milk

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2 cups fresh cooked mixed vegetables (corn, okra, green beans, green peas, etc., whatever you have on hand)

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl stir bakery mix, eggs, and 1/2 cup milk to make biscuit topping. Set aside. In saucepan on medium-high heat combine cream of chicken soup, 1 cup fat-free milk, chicken, mixed cooked vegetables, and seasonings. Stir until mixture is heated through. In a casserole dish add chicken mixture. Spoon biscuit dough over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes until topping is golden brown. Makes 10 servings.