Marshall Field’s Famous Chicken Potpie

The Cook’s Illustrated Simple Chicken Pot Pie recipe is very similar to the Marshall Field’s recipe. Cook’s Illustrated simplified it by using chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken and frozen puff pastry instead of homemade piecrust.

I made something in between. I didn’t want to use puff pastry so I made the piecrust. I did change the crust a bit. The original recipe calls for shortening. Unfortunately I do not cook with shortening and didn’t want to buy shortening just for this recipe. I’ve made piecrusts with butter, shortening, lard and any combination of the three. I decided to go the all butter route. I had lard in the refrigerator but it was supermarket lard and it had an off taste. I read the package and it reads, “partially hydrogenated lard.” Although the last pie crust was perfectly tender and flaky, the off flavor of the lard combined with the butter was not right. The all-butter crust was really good. It was tender, flaky and the flavor was amazing. I love butter.

The next change I made to the recipe was the use of bone-in chicken breasts instead of a whole fryer. I have about 5 whole fryers in the freezer but I prefer my chicken pot pies made with white meat. I also prefer the chicken diced; not shredded.

I also added par-boiled diced red potatoes because potpies have to include potatoes. The other substitutes were minor. I didn’t have sherry in the house but had a few other fortified wines. I used Madeira wine.

Marshall Field’s Famous Chicken Potpie

(Created by Mrs. Herring)

Pie Dough
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco), chilled
3-4 tbsp. ice water

Chicken
3 bone-in chicken breast halves or 1 (3 ½ lb.) frying chicken
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion, halved
2 tsp. salt

Filling
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
½ cup flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup Madeira wine ¼ cup sherry
5 red potatoes, peeled, diced and par-boiled
¾ cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp. water

To prepare pie dough:
Combine flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 times to combine. Add the shortening and pulse a few more times, until the dough resembles coarse cornmeal.

Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tbsp. ice water. Stir and then press together with a wooden spoon until the dough sticks together. A little at a time, add more water if the dough won’t come together.

Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling.

To cook chicken

Combine chicken, carrot, celery, onion and salt in a large stockpot. Add cold water just to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and allow to cool.

Increase the heat to high and boil for 20 minutes to concentrate the broth. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the vegetables. Reserve broth.

When cool enough to handle, dice pull the chicken meat from the bones and shred into bite-size pieces.

To finish and bake
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and 2 ½ cups of reserved chicken broth. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken meat, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Divide the warm filling among six 10- to 12-ounce potpie tins or individual ramekins (small baking dishes).

Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out to ¼-inch thick. Cut into six rounds about 1 inch larger than the circumference of the dish or dishes.

Lay a dough round over each filled potpie tin or ramekin. Turn the overhanging dough back under itself and flute the edges with a fork. Cut a 1-inch slit in the top of each pie… or several slits in the top of one large pie.

Line a baking sheet with foil (to catch liquid that bubbles over). Place pies on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbles. Serve hot.

Makes 6 individual pies or one large potpie.