I have been in the mood for some serious home cooking lately. Even though the temperature in my small kitchen easily tops 100 degrees, I can’t help but turn up the oven to bake up some comfort food.

Last night I tackled a homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I kept it on the lighter side with 2% milk and olive oil, but I went all the way with the buttery crust topping. I baked the whole thing up in my cast iron skillet and it was beyond good. The dinner table was a special sort of silent last night, mouths were full and there wasn’t a bit of leftovers. I would say it was a comfort food success.

Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (12 to 14 ounces each)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly; discard skin and bones. Shred meat, and set aside.
2. While chicken is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add carrots, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.
3. Remove from heat; stir in peas, lemon juice, and chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
4. Roll out chilled pie dough until it is 1/2 to 1-inch larger than the baking dish. Using a knife of a small cookie cutter, cut a few holes in the top of the pie crust. Gently place the crust over the dish and tuck into the sides. Beat 1 egg with a splash of milk and brush the top of the pie crust with egg mixture to encourage browning. Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let potpie cool 15 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter and shortening. Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with fork until moist clumps form. (Dough can also be prepared in processor. Using on/off turns, cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients until coarse meal forms. Add buttermilk and process just until moist clumps form.) Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into balls; flatten into disks. Wrap separately and chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared ahead. Refrigerate 1 week or freeze 1 month. Let dough stand at room temperature to soften slightly before using.)

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Tags | chicken, comfort food, dinner, family dinner