Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping

As much as I love the people of Cook's Illustrated, I always think they live in this fantasy world of cooking. Their recipes, though tasty, require an entire afternoon of cooking and over 20 ingredients. When I was thumbing through the September 2010 edition of Cook's Illustrated, they had a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie for weeknights. I was skeptical but willing to give it a go.

I made this when we had company over a few nights ago. It really wasn't a recipe for weeknight. It took me between an hour and a half to two hours to finish this dish!! Who has that kind of time on a weeknight? But if you're one of the lucky few who does, try this recipe, because it's really really good!!!

The chicken mixture tasted so fresh with all the vegetables. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and I don't think the dish suffered at all. The addition of soy sauce and tomato paste really made a big difference in the flavors!! I love the savory crumble topping too. It had a little kick from the cayenne and it's not nearly as heavy as the usual biscuit topping. I think it's a nice change to the traditional chicken pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping
from Cook's Illustrated, September 2010 Issue

Filling:
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into slices (about 1 cup)
2 small celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
10 oz cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and sliced thin
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp tomato paste
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup frozen baby peas

Crumble Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
6 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled
1 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream

1. For the chicken: Bring the chicken and broth to a simmer in a covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until chicken is done, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat over to 450 degrees.

2. For the topping: Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the butter pieces in and incorporate with your fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to 3/4 inch each onto parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

3. For the filling: Heat 1 tbsp oil in the empty Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally; until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.

4. Heat the remaining tbsp oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, cover and cook until mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir in the soy sauce and tomato paste. Cook, stirring until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned, and dark fond begins to form on the surface of pan, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the chicken and vegetables.

5. Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook for one minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and 2 tbsp of parsley.

6. Stir in chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish. Scatter crumble topping evenly over the top. BAke on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining tbsp of parsley and serve.