Chicken or Turkey Potpie with Cheddar Crust

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We spent a lovely day at my brother's house and enjoyed the chance to eat a turkey that I did not cook myself.   Even more so than usual, our family has much to be grateful for this holiday season and we are so thankful to all be healthy and back under one roof again!  

So we didn't actually have any leftover turkey this year, but still I couldn't resist trying some of our traditional post-Thanksgiving recipes.  Usually we make family favorite Turkey Tacos and  Shepherd's Pie (with turkey and mashed potatoes), but last year we got adventurous and decided to make this beautiful potpie with the leftover turkey instead.   Although we loved the tender flaky crust and deliciously savory filling, we then promptly lost the recipe and it was lost in the shuffle before I could properly document it.  Luckily I recently came across the recipe again and decided to try it again as a post-Thanksgiving supper.  We tried it with a rotisserie chicken and dried herbs (instead of fresh) this time and it did the trick just the same.   We took one bite and decided that we're definitely not letting this one get away from us again. 

Recipe adapted from:  Food Network

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

CRUST


2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
1/2 cup ice water
FILLING:


5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme (or 1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
6 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
2 tsp.  salt, divided
1 pkg. (10-ounces) fresh cremini mushrooms, chopped (chop them small enough and even mushroom-haters won't notice them)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white cooking wine (or chicken broth)
2 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbs. dried parsley)
5 cups leftover turkey or chicken, shredded
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper


Directions: 

CRUST: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, fine salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.   Add the cheese, butter and shortening; and cut into the dry mixture with a pastry blender (or in a food processor) until the butter and shortening are in pea-size chunks.  

Add 1/2 cup ice water and stir together just until the dough starts to come together (do not overwork the dough). Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. (NOTE:  I  refrigerated the dough just during the time it took to make the filling.)

FILLING:  Melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, thyme, celery, carrots and  1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 6 more minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add the cooking wine (or chicken broth); cook until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth, cream and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley, shredded turkey/chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer filling to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Roll out the crust dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until slightly larger than the baking dish.

Drape the dough over the filling, press it against the inside of the dish and trim.

Brush with cream, then cut a few slits in the top.

Put on a baking sheet; bake at 400 degrees until golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


Enjoy!