Rainy Day Binge Watching (Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie)

Yesterday was cold and rainy.   A bad day to go out and do anything.  A great day for making a cozy dinner and, spending time as a family, 

Will and Steve take in the National Mall; I can't get
over how they stand exactly the same.

binge watching a great TV drama.  I'm happy to say we accomplished all three.



Piping hot from the oven

Will is home for Christmas and since the weather was pretty nasty, we took an impromptu weekend trip to DC.  Sure it was cold and nasty there, too, but we were able to check out a few monuments, hit the Spy Museum and had some amazing meals at some incredible neighborhood restaurants around DuPont Circle and Georgetown. Not to mention the fact that were able to spend time with our son as we drove to and from Our Nation's Capitol.  



During that drive, the topic turned to the fact that Steve and I somehow missed out on the Netflicks's series, House of Cards.  Last night we fixed that little problem.  Well, at least 8 of the 13 episodes from Season One.  Whew!



The money shot.  Dang, that was good.

An afternoon/evening/night like that calls for a cozy dinner, that can be eaten in front of the TV.  And since we had a half of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, and a frozen pie crust in the freezer - you got it, we had chicken pot pie.



The following maps out the steps I took to make this yummy dinner.  You can substitute a wide range of veggies and herbs to make it your own.  And if you don't have a pie crust and are not inclined to make one from scratch, serve it in a bowl and call it stew.



Enjoy.



Ingredients:

• ½ Rotisserie Chicken, skin and bones removed and meat cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 TBS olive oil
• ½ onion, small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 6 asparagus stalks, cut into inch long pieces
• 3 TBS flour
• 2TBS chopped fresh tarragon, divided or 1 ½ tsp dried tarragon divided
• 2 cups stock (I used turkey stock that I had in the freezer, but chicken stock works equally well), heated
• Splash of cream or half-and half, if you have it
• 1 TBS Kitchen Bouquet (for color – optional)
• 1 cup frozen peas or frozen pea/carrot/corn mix
• 1 frozen pie crust, thawed
• 1 egg beaten into an egg wash
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Method

 Pre-heat the oven to 425 and position a rack in the center of the oven

• In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil
• Sauté the onions and celery until they begin to soften, then add the garlic and asparagus.  Sauté a tad more, until the asparagus begins to look slightly soft, but not overly cooked.
• Sprinkle the flour over the veggie mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, sprinkle in half of the tarragon.
• Add the warm stock; whisk to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken.
• If you have cream or half and half on hand, add a splash to richen the sauce.  A bit of Kitchen Bouquet will darken the color a tad; but don't fret if you don't have any.
• Now add the chicken and the frozen veggies.  Stir to combine, add the second half of the tarragon.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Now set set aside to cool a bit. 
• When the mixture is warm / cool, pour into a skillet or baking dish
• Top with the crust, crimp the outer edge inward, cut slits in the top for the steam to escape, and brush the top with the egg mixture. Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper on top for a little added interest.
•  Bake in the 425 oven for 30 to minutes,  then lower the heat to 350 and continue to bake until the top is completely browned and the contents are bubbly.  About 10 to 15 minutes will do.
•  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.