Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Chicken Curry Pot Pies -- 07/23/12

Chicken Curry Pot Pies

Ingredients

  • For the Poached Chicken Base:
  • 2 full bone in, skin on chicken breasts
  • 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 1-inch ginger root, sliced
  • 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, quartered
  • 1 Fresno chili pepper, halved
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Herb bundle of thyme and a small handful of cilantro
  • Sea salt

  • For the Chicken Curry:
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1-2 small ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 parsnip, chopped
  • 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1-inch ginger, finely grated
  • 1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons mild curry powder or 2 tablespoons turmeric, cumin and coriander combined
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 -1/3 cup Major Grey’s chutney
  • Puff pastry dough, 2 sheets
  • 1 egg

Yields: 6

Preparation

Place chicken and ingredients for poaching in pot, cover with water, season the water with some sea salt and bring to gentle boil, reduce heat to simmer and poach for 40-45 minutes. Remove chicken to cool. Strain stock and return to stove to keep warm.

Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with EVOO. Heat oven to 400ºF.

Melt butter into oil and add onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, apple, ginger, garlic and season with salt and pepper, curry powder and cook to soften 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour and stir 1 minute more. Ladle in about 3 cups of reserved stock and stir in chutney to sweeten. Reduce heat to simmer.

Remove chicken from carcass and remove skin, pull chicken into bite-size pieces or dice. Add to curry gravy and vegetables. Add a little more stock if curry gravy gets too thick for your liking.

Roll pastry dough out on lightly floured surface. Cut pastry dough into the shapes of the bowls you will serve from. Wash the dough with egg beaten with a splash of water, then bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until golden and puffed and crisp on the bottom, about 12-15 minutes.

Fill dinner bowls with curry and top with puffed baked pastry, serve.