One Flew Over the Chicken Coop

Ask anyone who really knows me and they will tell you that I have a slight obsession with chicken.  As a child, it was easily my favorite food.  There was even a stretch of about 4 years somewhere in my past where I ate chicken at least once a day every single day – and quite often more than once a day.  At this point, I am lucky that I have not sprouted wings and feathers. 

I gave up my once a day chicken obsession years ago and I fully understand that not everyone likes it as much as I do.  I probably serve chicken more often than my husband would like, though, because it is still on the menu in my house several times a week.  Needless to say, I am always on the lookout for new chicken recipes. 

When I came across the recipe for Chicken Pie in my 1942 edition of the Good Housekeeping Cook Book, I knew I had to try it.  Though the recipe is a bit time consuming, it is quite easy and well worth the effort.  Chicken Pie is, by far, the best vintage recipe that I have made to date.  It has a creamy goodness that sticks to your ribs like something only your grandmother could make.  My husband raved about it and put up no complaints when I served leftovers the second day.  Though I am on a quest to cook as many vintage recipes as possible, I have a feeling that Chicken Pie is going to pop up on our menu several times a year.

I left mine in the oven a few minutest too long!

Chicken Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients

·        1 – 4 lb chicken, cut up*

·        1 tbsp salt (I used about half this amount of pink Himalayan salt and it was plenty.)

·        2 stalks celery

·        1 bay leaf

·        14 small white onions

·        7 tbsp butter

·        7 tbsp flour

·        1 c top milk or light cream**

·        2 c chicken broth

·        Salt to taste

·        Speck pepper

·        Dash mace

·        ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

·        1 tbsp sherry – optional (I skipped this)

·        1 recipe Baking Powder Biscuits (See below)

Directions

1.       Simmer chicken, salt, celery and bay leaf in enough boiling water to half-cover chicken, until tender – about 1 – 1 ½ hours, replenishing with boiling water if necessary.

2.       Add onions during last half hour of cooking.

3.       Remove chicken and onions, reserving broth for sauce, and allow to rest until chicken is cool enough to touch.

4.       Bone chicken, leaving meat in fairly large pieces then arrange with the onions in a 1 ½ quart casserole. 

5.       Preheat oven to 425°F.

6.       In a double boiler, melt butter then add flour and stir until smooth.  Add top milk, and 2 cups of reserved chicken broth gradually while stirring.  (Discard remaining broth.)

7.       Cook sauce until thickened, stirring constantly.

8.       Season with salt, pepper, mace Worcestershire sauce and sherry.

9.       Pour sauce over chicken then

10.   Top with Baking Powder Biscuits, rolled ½” thick and cut with a doughnut cutter.***

11.   Brush top with milk.

12.   Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

*My local market was out of whole chickens when I went shopping in the evening so I substituted 2 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  You could also use the same amount of boneless skinless chicken breasts.

**If you have trouble finding light cream in your local market you can substitute with 3 parts heavy cream and 1 part milk.  I used ¾ cup heavy cream and ¼ cup milk to make up for the 1 cup of light cream.

***You can use any cookie cutter shape you like for this.  I did not have a doughnut cutter so I used the antique mini heart cookie cutter that my husband purchased for me on Valentine’s Day.   

Baking Powder Biscuits

Makes 19 2-inch Biscuits

Ingredients

·        1 C sifted all-purpose flour

·        3 tsp baking powder

·        1 tsp salt

·        4 tbsp shortening

·        About 2/3 c bottled milk (I used buttermilk because I had it on hand)

·        OR

·        1/3 c evaporated milk and 1/3 c water

Directions

1.    Sift dry ingredients together.

2.   Cut shortening into dry ingredients using two knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture is the consistency of coarse corn meal.

3.   Add enough of the milk, while stirring with a fork, to make a soft dough that can be easily handled.

4.   Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly for about 20 seconds.

5.   Roll or pat into a sheet about 1/2-inch (to 1-inch) thick.

**REMAINING STEPS NOT USED IN CHICKEN PIE RECIPE**

6.    Cut into rounds of desired size with a floured cutter and place on a greased or oiled baking sheet.

7.   Place about 1-inch apart if you like a crusty biscuit or close together if you like a soft-edged biscuit.

8.   Knead dough trimmings together, roll out and cut as above until no dough remains.

9.   Bake in an oven which has been preheated to 450°F for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden.

  

Comment below with your favorite chicken recipes!