Wanted to share this recipe that I tweaked last night. If you like classic Chicken Pot Pie but want to make it with pheasant or dove, this pie is for you!
Ingredients:
2 pheasants, de-boned, or 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts or boneless thighs
2 T olive or canola oil (or a mixture)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced into thin medallions
2 potatoes, diced
¼ lb unsalted butter (one stick)
½ C flour (all-purpose)
2.5 C + stock – one veggie stock and one low-sodium chicken
1.5 t salt
¾ t black pepper
3 T heavy whipping cream
½ lb frozen peas, unthawed
For the Pastry – if not using pre-made crust:
3 C flour (all-purpose)
1.5 t salt
1 t baking powder
8 T lard (find at Stater Bros)
8 T cold unsalted butter
½ to ¾ C ice water
1 egg, beaten with a T of water or cream (egg wash)
Method-
Put the pheasant or chicken into a baking dish with the 2T oil and bake for 20 minutes on 325 if cooking pheasant, or 35-40 minutes on 350 if cooking chicken. Per great advice here, I also made sure to trim the thin membrane outside the muscle tissue for better taste.
For the crust, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the lard and butter and pulse 10 (ish) times, until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor on low, add enough ice water to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Cover in plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
Meanwhile boil a pot of 2 quarts water. Blanch the potato cubes for 5 minutes.
Sauté the onions with the stick of butter in a large sauté pan on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook 5 more.
Add the flour and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Slowly add the stock and the salt and pepper and simmer 5 more minutes. Add the heavy whipping cream.
When the pheasant or chicken is done baking and cool enough to be handled, cut it into bite-sized cubes. Add to the sauce along with the frozen peas.
When ready, remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two (one for the top of the pie, one for the bottom). Roll out each half to fit a 9 or 9 ½ -inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Place 1 crust in the dish and if you have time, place that dish into the freezer for 15 minutes or more. Remove and fill with filling mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with egg wash. Make slashes or fork-pokes in the top crust.
Bake for one hour on 365 degrees for pheasant or for 1 hour 15 minutes on 375 degrees for chicken, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. If you have extra filling, make a second little bowl and top with dough scraps.
Ingredients:
2 pheasants, de-boned, or 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts or boneless thighs
2 T olive or canola oil (or a mixture)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced into thin medallions
2 potatoes, diced
¼ lb unsalted butter (one stick)
½ C flour (all-purpose)
2.5 C + stock – one veggie stock and one low-sodium chicken
1.5 t salt
¾ t black pepper
3 T heavy whipping cream
½ lb frozen peas, unthawed
For the Pastry – if not using pre-made crust:
3 C flour (all-purpose)
1.5 t salt
1 t baking powder
8 T lard (find at Stater Bros)
8 T cold unsalted butter
½ to ¾ C ice water
1 egg, beaten with a T of water or cream (egg wash)
Method-
Put the pheasant or chicken into a baking dish with the 2T oil and bake for 20 minutes on 325 if cooking pheasant, or 35-40 minutes on 350 if cooking chicken. Per great advice here, I also made sure to trim the thin membrane outside the muscle tissue for better taste.
For the crust, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the lard and butter and pulse 10 (ish) times, until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor on low, add enough ice water to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Cover in plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
Meanwhile boil a pot of 2 quarts water. Blanch the potato cubes for 5 minutes.
Sauté the onions with the stick of butter in a large sauté pan on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook 5 more.
Add the flour and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Slowly add the stock and the salt and pepper and simmer 5 more minutes. Add the heavy whipping cream.
When the pheasant or chicken is done baking and cool enough to be handled, cut it into bite-sized cubes. Add to the sauce along with the frozen peas.
When ready, remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two (one for the top of the pie, one for the bottom). Roll out each half to fit a 9 or 9 ½ -inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Place 1 crust in the dish and if you have time, place that dish into the freezer for 15 minutes or more. Remove and fill with filling mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with egg wash. Make slashes or fork-pokes in the top crust.
Bake for one hour on 365 degrees for pheasant or for 1 hour 15 minutes on 375 degrees for chicken, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. If you have extra filling, make a second little bowl and top with dough scraps.
