Mustard-Tarragon Chicken Pot Pies

Photo: The Gouda Life

Ingredients

Pâte Brisée:

2 sticks unsalted butter (try to use a goodish butter here)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

6 tablespoons ice water

€Chicken Filling:

2 large (3- 4 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup heavy cream

4 carrots, peeled and medium diced

1 zucchini, medium diced

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup cognac

3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I use 3, but I like it mustardy)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

Preparation

Pâte Brisée:

Cut up the butter into very small pieces and place in the refrigerator or freezer while you work with the other ingredients.

Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture forms coarse small crumbs, about 10 – 15 seconds. Add 3 Tbsp ice water to the mixture and pulse until dough comes together a bit and holds together when you pinch the dough between your fingers.

Pour the dough out onto a cutting board and shape into a ball without over working the dough. Divide into 2 pieces and shape each into a flat round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Pot Pies:

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Pour the cream over the chicken and bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

Remove the chicken from the cream, reserving the cream for the sauce. Once the chicken has cooled, cut it into 1 inch pieces.

Boil a medium pot of water and add the carrots. Cook until almost fork tender, 7 minutes. They will finish cooking in the oven with the pies.

Melt the butter in a wide sauté pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook 5 minutes, but do not brown. Slowly add the broth to the onion mixture, whisking until the sauce smooths out and thickens. Add the cream, cognac, tarragon, and mustard. Taste and season appropriately with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken, zuchini, and carrots to this sauce and mix gently. Pour mixture into a 2 quart casserole, soufflé dish, or large ramekins for individual pot pies.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out the pastry dough so you have a circle of dough large enough to go over the edges of your bowl. (I made them fit IN the ramekins and they shrunk, so bigger is better if you like flaky dough.) Press down the pastry edges, folding them as necessary. Beat together the egg and water and brush over the top of the pastry to give a nice glossy finish to the crust. Cut a few steam vents in the pastry and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

If you’re looking for a wine to pair with this, I have just the one for you. Claire, who is the endlessly talented wine blogger over at Foodieprints, suggested I try a Chardonnay (very specifically, anAu Bon Climat chardonnay, though I was unable to find it so settled for a Menage a Trois variety) to cut through the vinegar in the mustard and help bring out the cream and tarragon. I have never really been too saavy when it comes to pairing wines, and don’t often have ‘the perfect match’. But this… this was something. This wine, which I likely would not drink on it’s own, was the wine for the pot pies. It made every bite feel complete, balancing all the flavours and elevating them to a new level. If you haven’t visited FoodiePrints before, I urge you to do so. If not for the well composed, informative and witty posts from Don and Jenn, then for the seemingly infinite wine wisdom of Claire.