Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 1½ cups unbleached flour (white or wheat)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ cup butter or solid vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup chilled water
• Filling
• 1½ lb. boneless skinless chicken (white or dark meat)
• 8 ozs. fresh wild mushrooms (shitake or baby bella), cleaned and sliced
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
• 4 Tbsp. unbleached white flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup half and half
• 2 Tbsp. sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1½ tsp. tarragon
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Make the pastry by combining the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add as much water as necessary to form the dough into a ball.
4. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour.
5. To make the filling, heat the olive oil and two tablespoons of the butter in a skillet.
6. Saute the mushrooms over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
8. Add the onion and carrots (seasoned with salt and pepper to taste) and cook over medium heat until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Again, remove vegetables with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the fat as possible in the skillet.
10. Add the remaining butter and increase the heat to medium high.
11. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through; remove the cooked chicken with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl along with the peas.
12. There should be about 3 tablespoons of fat left in the skillet.
13. If not, add some butter to the skillet and melt it over medium heat.
14. Sprinkle the flour over the drippings in the skillet and stir over medium high heat for a couple of minutes to incorporate the flour.
15. Carefully add the chicken stock and half and half.
16. Stir constantly, scraping up the browned pieces on the bottom of the skillet to flavor the sauce.
17. Combine the sauce, chicken and vegetable mixture, and remaining ingredients (except for the beaten egg).
18. Pour the mixture into a 9x9x2-inch baking dish.
19. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
20. Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface to cover the baking dish and hang about one inch over the edge.
21. Fold the part of the crust that hangs over the edge underneath so that you have a thickened crust that meets the edge of the baking dish.
22. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and cut several slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
23. Immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.