Vermont Chicken Pie

It was really cold this weekend so I decided to recreate a Vermont fall classic.   

Source:  https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2010/9/18/902969/-

1 whole chicken, 3 or 4 pounds
3 onions, quartered
3 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

Several peppercorns

 

Place the chicken into a stockpot and cover it with water. Place onions, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer gently for about 15 minutes and then turn off the heat and let the covered pot sit until it is cool, about 3 or 4 hours.

Bone and skin the chicken -tear the chicken into bite-sized strips. Place bite-size pieces or strips of the chicken in the bottom of a large casserole dish. With a slotted spoon, drain out the onions and place on top of the chicken. Reserve about a quart of the broth (or boil the broth down for more intense flavor – this is a very mildly-flavored dish).

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 16-ounce bag of frozen peas (use fresh if it's the right season – optional – didn’t add much)

Melt butter in a large skillet and then add flour. Using a wire whisk, stir in a few tablespoons of the broth, making a thick paste. Gradually add the rest of the broth, a bit at a time, whisking all the while. When it's thickened but still pourable (you don't want it to be pasty, a smooth liquid gravy is what you are looking for here), pour about half of it over the chicken pieces.

Preheat the oven to 425.

 

Biscuit Crust

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons softened butter

2/3 to ¾ cup Kefir or buttermilk

 

Stir all the dry ingredients together with a wire whisk and then cut in the butter. Add the milk and blend until the dough is workable with your hands.

If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour as you go. Place on the counter or bread board and knead lightly until it's no longer sticky. Roll it out to fit the top of your casserole dish -- make it slightly smaller so it will fit on top of the chicken but not overlap or be fastened to the sides of the dish. The gravy is going to bubble up around the crust as it bakes. You can be approximate, it's OK to be shaggy around the edges or however you like.

Put the peas on top of the chicken and gravy (optional) and then top it with the crust. Turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the biscuit is golden.

Serve with extra gravy.