Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Nothing warms chilly day better than Serena Barnett’s chicken pie
Serena Barnett, director of the Rogers Historical Museum, calls this “one of my favorite comfort food recipes.”
“This recipe is from my chef sister, Zephyr Williamson,” Barnett explains. “She really is a chef, trained at Le Cordon Bleu. I lovingly call her my ‘pocket chef’ since I’m always pulling out my phone to call her when I’m needing help in the kitchen! There’s nothing I like better than enjoying a warm, out-of-the-oven, homemade pot pie on a chilly day. Well, other than a nice cup of hot tea to go with it, that is!”
Barnett has the museum’s 1895 Hawkins House feeling all warm and cozy, too, decorated for a patriotic holiday. Each room of the house will feature “objects and/or decorations that reflect historical uses of patriotism during the Christmas season during the late Victorian era through World War I,” Barnett says, and tours will be offered Tuesday through Saturday through Dec. 31.
“For Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins and their two young children, Christmas Day would have been a time for the family to spend together,” Barnett says. Maybe this year, your family will choose Barnett’s Chicken Pie for a holiday meal.
Chicken Pie
1 whole chicken
4 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 russet potatoes, diced
2 bay leaves
2 T. chicken base
4 T. Butter
3 T. flour
Pastry for Two-Crust Pie
2 cups Flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup plus
2 T. cold butter
5-7 T. cold water
Directions for pastry:
Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Sprinkle with the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added, if necessary). Chill pastry: Gather pastry into ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap rounds in plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 minutes or until dough is firm and cold.
Directions for the filling:
In large pot filled with water, add salt and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cook until done. Remove chicken and set aside till cool enough to pull the meat. Reserve the broth in a large bowl. In same pot, sweat onions, celery and carrots until tender, add broth and bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes and cook till tender. In separate pan, melt butter and add flour, cook 2 minutes. Add flour mixture to broth, stirring quickly as it will thicken up the broth. Turn heat down on low. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Roll out bottom crust: Using floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round on lightly floured surface into a round 2 inches larger than upsidedown 9-inch glass pie plate. Place dough in pie plate, add filling and place second rolledout crust on top, crimping the edges closed. Take a knife and make three or four slits in the top middle of pie, making a vent. Brush with an egg wash and place pie on sheet pan. Bake in oven for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Suggest your favorite local celebrity, and we’ll ask them to share a recipe. Email Features Editor Becca Martin-Brown at bmartin@nwadg.com.