Chicken Curry pot pie

This is a recipe that I use for older chickens -- laying hens past their prime, or roosters.  I'll pressure cook the chickens and remove the bones, and then use the cooked meat . 

When I cook I like to cook a quantity that allows me to freeze the meal for some other time.  Pot pies are a quick lunch or dinner, and they freeze very well; they'll keep in good condition for 6 months if they're put in an airtight bag or container.  So when I do pot pies, I always do extras. 



Makes 3 7" pot pies: 

Ingredients:
  Filling: 
  3 cups chopped carrots and peas (frozen is fine)
  1/2 cup chopped celery
  1/2 cup chopped onion
  1/4 cup olive oil
  2 cups chicken meat
  1/2 cup milk
  1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  Curry powder to taste (2-3 tablespoons is a start)

  Crust:
  2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  1 stick butter (frozen butter recommended)
  1 stick lard (frozen recommended)  (you want equal amounts of butter and lard) You can substitute shortening or more butter, but not as good)
  1/4 cup water
  1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt

  Tools & materials: 
  (3) 7" small pie pans.  I buy these for $0.11 each at costco. 
  1 baking sheet (roast the veges on it, then use it to bake the pies)
 

  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 
Toss the peas, carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil to coat, and then put them on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven; remove them when they're golden and delicious. 

While the vegetables are cooking, put the flour, baking powder and salt into a food processor.  Cut the butter and lard into chunks and add to the flour, pulsing four or five times.  You want the flour/fat mixture to have small pieces of lard and butter mixed evenly through it.  Add the water and vinegar slowly, pulsing to mix it in.  At the end you should have a corn meal texture.  don't over process, and don't add too much water.  You want the dough to stick together, but not very much. 

Split the dough into 6 even portions, flatten into pancakes and put it into the freezer to chill. 

In a small sauce pan, put the milk and chicken stock, and warm it.    Add curry powder to taste.  Once the liquid is seasoned, add the chicken and fold in the vegetables.

Now go to your freezer and retrieve your dough.  Roll it out, put it into pie tins and spoon filling into it.   

Once the pies are topped, brush with beaten egg so that they get deliciously brown on top when baked.   You can freeze the pies or eat them immediately.  Cooked now they take about 25 minutes -- you only have to bake the crust.  Frozen they take about 45 minutes to cook -- cook until the internal temperature is 170 degrees. 

Use the baking sheet you roasted your vegetables on to bake the pies.  Enjoy!