Chicken, Tarragon, and Leek Pie

Our new favorite chicken pot pie! Not a quick recipe, but so worth it. Highly recommend Julius Roberts' book, The Farm Table.

Ingredients

• To poach the chicken:

  • 1 whole chicken

  • 1 yellow onion, quartered

  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped

  • 3 bay leaves

• For the pie:

  • 3 celery stalks, sliced or chopped

  • 3 large leeks, sliced into thin rounds

  • 6 slices bacon, chopped

  • 2 Tbsp butter

  • 2.5 cups poaching broth

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • .5 cup white wine

  • .75 cup heavy cream

  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard

  • 1/2 fresh tarragon, chopped

  • 1 egg, whisked

  • 2 sheets puff pastry

  • fennel seeds

Steps

1. Poach the chicken: Cut chicken completely in two, lengthwise. Season all over with salt and let sit for an hour. Then, in a large dutch oven add olive oil and heat over medium-high. Brown chicken until caramelized all over.

2. Add chopped vegetables and bay leaves to chicken then add water until chicken is just covered. Season with salt and simmer with lid on for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

3. Remove chicken to cool, then strip meat from bones. Return bones and gristle to poaching pot. Simmer again to create broth for pie and stock to save for another meal.

4. Make the pie: Simmer bacon in butter in a large pot. When fat is rendered, add celery and leeks with a ladle of chicken broth. Cook slowly until tender.

5. Strain the poaching broth and season with salt if needed.

6. Add flour to leek mixture and mix well for a few minutes. Pour in wine and mix well then add 2.5 cups broth slowly until fully mixed then turn off heat and pour in cream. Add chicken meat, mustard, and chopped tarragon.

7. Heat oven to 425°. Fill two pie dishes with meat mixture, place pastry on top and crimp edges. Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with fennel seeds, salt, and pepper.

8. Pierce hole in the middle and bake for 30 minutes.

Credit: Julius Roberts