Chicken Thigh Pie Food

SKILLET CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or other heavy bottom skillet) over medium heat. Sear chicken, skin-side down, until deeply golden brown and some of the fat has begun to render out, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate chicken and continue to cook on all sides until evenly browned and cooked through, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken, keeping all the drippings in the skillet, and let cool slightly on a plate.
• To the drippings, add carrots, celery, garlic, onion and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender and just cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat all the vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour has started to turn a light golden brown with no white, floury bits left, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly add the chicken broth or stock ½ cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to blend and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Once all the broth or stock is added, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
• Remove the bones and skin from the chicken and shred the meat and skin (discard any skin that is too thick or rubbery) into bite-size pieces or, alternatively, cut it with a knife and fork into bite-size pieces. (If you discover at this stage any pieces of chicken that are not completely cooked through, don't worry; they will finish cooking in the oven.) Add the peas, parsley and chicken and season once more with salt and pepper.
• Carefully unfold the puff pastry and working quickly, place it on top of the skillet (do not worry about it being a perfect circle), letting some of the dough hang off the sides (this will keep it from shrinking too much).
• Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush onto the top of the puff pastry. Cut three 2½-inch slits, about 1-inch apart and place the skillet on top of the sheet pan to catch any drips in the oven.
• Bake until puff pastry is golden brown on top and filling is starting to bubble up, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue to cook until puff pastry is baked through all the way and filling has thickened considerably, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly before eating.

CHICKEN THIGH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F (for Jiffy) for the cornbread.
• Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with the sweet potatoes and enough cold water to cover them. Bring the water up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium and boil the sweet potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and reserve.
• While the potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and add to the hot pan. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the browned chicken to a plate and add the butter to the pan to melt. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about a minute. Whisk the stock and juice into the butter-flour mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the barbecue sauce, scallions, peas and reserved chicken to the pan, and stir to combine. Season again with salt and pepper and transfer to a casserole dish.
• Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions. Spread over the top of the casserole and bake until the bread is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

CHICKEN THIGH POTPIE

Steps:

• For the vegetables:
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• In a large bowl, toss the rutabaga and sweet potato with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over a baking sheet (or divide it between two baking sheets if needed) and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender.
• Meanwhile, toss the pearl onions with the vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the onions evenly over a baking sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until tender.
• Put the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes, then add the kale and wilt it slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove all the vegetables from the pans into one large bowl, and set aside.
• For the chicken:
• Dust the chicken lightly with flour and season with salt and pepper. Place a large cast-iron skillet over a medium heat and add the oil. Pan-fry the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes, turning occasionally and adjust the heat as needed.
• For the pan gravy:
• Reduce the heat and add the butter. Add the thyme, rosemary, and garlic and sauté until the garlic is browned and aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Slowly pour in the flour, whisking constantly to form a paste and taking care not to let it burn, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the warm chicken stock, whisking until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove the herbs and garlic, set aside.
• For the crust:
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Toss in the butter and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Still pulsing, drip in ice water until the mixture begins to cling together; do not overprocess. Remove and shape the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour a work surface, and roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness, tracing the outline of your baking dish on a piece of parchment paper and trimming the dough 1/2 inch smaller than the outline. (This is not a sealed potpie; the partially prebaked crust will not completely cover the dish, which lets the filling bubble up along the sides.) Score the dough, place it in the freezer, and chill for 1 hour.
• To assemble and bake the dish:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut each thigh into 6 pieces and add the chicken to the vegetable mixture along with the pan gravy, stirring to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 10-inch round baking dish.
• With the dough still on the parchment paper, transfer to a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the crust every 5 minutes so it browns evenly, until the crust begins to crisp and becomes lightly browned. Remove the crust from the pan and place it on top of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Return to the oven and bake until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.