It is far from crucial that one spend all week in the kitchen to put forth a rich repast – in fact, some of the best meals are built around shortcuts.
My go-to in this category is the pot pie.
Start with almost any stew, season it to taste, put it in an oven-safe dish, and bring it to full heat, then top it with your preferred crust (pre-made or homemade pie crust, puff pastry, biscuits, or even bread dough), then bake it until the crust is fully cooked. Allow it to cool a few minutes before serving, and you have your own best comfort food in only a short while.
I've done this with leftover pot roast, leftover clam chowder, and even leftover chili (cornbread makes an awesome top crust, there!).
But today's option, creamy chicken pot pie, does require a tiny amount more effort of assembly, and prep a day or more in advance. If you're ambitious, you can start from scratch & roast your own chicken, but I've discovered our local Fareway store offers nice-sized rotisserie chickens for $5 every Wednesday (any other day, they're still $8.99 each, which still isn't a bad price for convenience and flavor). You can also shorten the process by buying some prepackaged liquid chicken broth or stock, but why would you want to miss the pleasure of making your own, when it's so easy?
I also prefer to grate my own cheese, for better flavor and more efficient melt, but it's entirely up to you whether you want greater convenience.
The same rules apply to some of your veggies. Buy them fresh and chop them if you want, or pick up a bag of mixed veggies from the freezer section of your store.
Also, you can prepare the seasonings from your own spice cabinet using a formula like this one, or buy a pre-measured mix at almost any store.
Last of all, if you think you may have enough leftovers to freeze, your stew's thickening agent may become an issue. I use corn starch (actually, Clear Jel) because it's a brainless add-in. If you want to use all-purpose flour, that, too, is a fair option, but you'll probably want the stew to simmer considerably longer, to work the flavor and texture down a bit.
And now, the process begins. Don't let the long long text intimidate you. It really is less complicated that it looks.
Rotisserie Chicken Pot Pie
on the day before serving:
Ingredients:
1 standard rotisserie chicken
about 4 – 6 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt (optional, depending on how salty your chicken already is)
Allow chicken to cool until you can remove the meat from the bones by hand. Try to be as efficient as possible in cleaning the carcass, but don't let it worry you if some meat is still on the bones when you're done picking.
Place bones and skin – along with any drippings from the package – in medium stock pot or deep saucepan, and cover with water. Put lid on pan, cook low temperature to simmer (do not boil) at least 4 hours to overnight.
Cut chicken into small-ish bite-sized pieces. Store in refrigerator.
On the feast day:
Ingredients:
4 cups hot chicken broth or stock
6 – 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped coarsely
2 – 4 Tablespoon high-temperature cooking oil (I use avocado oil), divided
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
4 or 5 medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
1 1/2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon ground white pepper (you can use regular pepper if that's what you have on hand)
Mixed vegetables:
1 freezer bag (12 or 16 ounces), thawed in microwave, or dice your own carrot, add peas, corn and chopped green beans in any proportions you like, so that you have about 3 cups of them all.
Thickener:
about 1/3 to 1/2 cup starch
an equal volume of warm water (or, you can get fancy and blend equal amounts of butter and flour into a paste)
Dairy:
1 brick (8 ounces) sharp or extra sharp cheddar, coarsely grated, divided
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup sour cream
All the chicken you cut up yesterday
Crust:
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (from above)
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions:
Strain the chicken broth into a separate stock pot. Discard the bones safely (don't give them to the neighbor's dog), and continue to simmer broth on low.
Heat a large frying pan high temp until a drop of water dances on the surface, drizzle about 2 Tablespoons oil around the pan & stir-fry mushrooms until the edges begin to crisp. Place the cooked mushrooms into the broth.
Reduce heat under frying pan to medium-low, add onions and remaining cooking oil, cooking gently until the onions become transparent. Use about 1 cup of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, leave on low heat to keep warm.
Into the stock pot, add potatoes, herbs de Provence, and pepper. Cover, bring to full boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Stir in mixed vegetables. Continue to simmer.
In the deglazed pan with the onions & broth, on medium heat, gradually whisk in the starch mixture, being sure to whisk thoroughly to prevent lumps from forming. (It's possible to just add a starch slurry to the large stock pot as it boils, but doing that makes it harder to prevent the gravy from getting lumpy). Add some stock into the gravy if it gets too thick too quickly. If you're using Clear Jel, corn starch, or arrowroot starch, you'll know it's ready to add to the stew pot when the color deepens and the gravy base turns slightly translucent.
Stir into stock pot, allow to simmer a couple of minutes.
Now, check your oven. Be sure the rack is centered or just below center position.
Preheat oven to 375º F
From the cheese you've grated, set aside 1/2 cup cheddar.
Begin adding the rest of the cheese into the stew, stirring until fully melted.
Add sour cream, mix well.
Ladle stew into a greased 3-quart or larger baking (casserole) dish*, or, if your stock pot is oven-safe, go ahead & use it without transfer & without dirtying extra dishes. Pop it in the oven and bake until the top begins to crust over and the edges are bubbling.
Open, unroll, and separate the crescent roll dough into its triangles. Arrange those triangles any way you want, layering as needed, on top of the stew, being careful not to cook yourself in the process.
Sprinkle the top with remaining cheddar cheese and top with poppy seeds.
Bake in 375º F oven for 15 – 17 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving
*It is at this point that I always separate out about 1 quart of the stew for myself, since I have… issues… with wheat, so I don't want my stew coming into contact with the bread topping. I'll add a healthy dose of poppy seeds to the stew, too. If I have the time & energy for a second show piece, I'll generally toss some gluten-free pie crust or gf drop biscuits on my own smaller casserole dish, but I'm just as happy with the stew on its own.
