Craig Claiborne's Chicken Pot Pie

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Put the chicken legs and thighs plus the bony parts of chicken in a kettle and add cold water to cover. Bring to the boil and let simmer about one minute. Drain.

2. Step 2

   Put 16 cups of water in a clean kettle and add the chicken pieces. Add the leek, bay leaves, two cups of the chopped onions and the celery. Cover and cook, skimming the surface often, to remove excess fat, foam and scum, about 15 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Using a pair of tongs, remove the legs and thighs from the kettle. Let cool. Meanwhile, let the stock with the necks and backs continue to cook, skimming the surface as necessary.

4. Step 4

   When the legs and thighs are cool enough to handle, remove and set aside the meat from the bones. Discard the skin. There should be about six cups of chicken meat. Toss the bones back into the kettle and cook one hour longer.

5. Step 5

   Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Put three cups of the broth into a saucepan, saving the remaining broth for other uses. Add the cream to the broth and bring to the boil. Cook 10 or 15 minutes or until reduced to three and one-half cups.

6. Step 6

   Meanwhile, slowly melt eight tablespoons of butter over gentle heat. Skim off the surface foam and carefully pour the clear center liquid into a cup. This is clarified butter. There should be about six tablespoons of the clarified butter. Pour this into a mixing bowl and add the flour. Stir to blend. Bring broth with the cream to the boil. Gradually add the blended flour and butter, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Add the bottled hot sauce, lemon juice and salt to taste. Cook five minutes.

7. Step 7

   Heat the remaining six tablespoons of butter in a wide, heavy skillet and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring. Add the remaining cup of onions, the carrots and the mushrooms and cook three minutes, stirring. Add the six cups of chicken meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about three minutes.

8. Step 8

   If fresh peas are used, drop them into boiling water and cook 30 seconds. Drain. If frozen peas are used, put them into a sieve and hold them under the hot water faucet about 15 seconds. Drain. Add the thickened sauce to the chicken and mushroom mixture. Stir in the peas. Blend thoroughly.

9. Step 9

   Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Step 10

    Ideally, you should use six oven-proof earthenware pot-pie dishes measuring about five and one-half inches in diameter. Spoon equal portions of the creamed chicken into the dishes, piling each portion up slightly.

11. Step 11

    Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to an eighth-inch thickness. Using a round lid measuring about six and one-half inches in diameter, cut out six rounds to cover the tops of the pot-pie dishes.

12. Step 12

    Brush around the perimeter of each round of pastry with beaten egg to make a one-inch egg-brushed margin. Brush around the outside top of each pot-pie dish about one-inch deep with beaten egg. Invert one egg-brushed round of dough over each filled pot-pie dish. Let the dough drape down all around the sides of each dish. Press the edges of the pastry against the upper side of each dish to seal firmly. Brush the top and sides of the pastry covers with more egg.

13. Step 13

    Arrange the dishes on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake about 25 minutes or until the pastry topping is puffed and nicely browned.