Smoked Chicken & Spring Onion Pot Pie

Smoked Chicken & Spring Onion Pot Pie

I just love it when friends and neighbors share their bounty from their gardens. This weekend I was delighted to receive a huge bunch of wonderful spring onions. There are so many ways to cook with these onions so it was a special treat to receive them. My husband smoked a chicken just to make a chicken pot pie with these lovely beauties.

Smoked Chicken

1 (4 lbs.) whole roaster chicken

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup of soaked apple wood chips

In an egg type grill or a dome type grill, light the coals. When the coals are an ash color, spread the coals around until the center of the grill has no coals in it. Sprinkle the soaked wood chips on the hot coals. Remove the heart, gizzards and neck bone from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry the chicken then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place the chicken on an upright chicken roaster stand or a can of beer
that is half full. Place the chicken in the center of the grill where there are no coals. Place the lid on the grill and grill for about 1 hour and fifteen minutes. Remove the chicken from the stand or beer and let it rest for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and debone the chicken.

Chicken Pot Pie

5 cups smoked chicken, diced

1 sleeve of Pillsbury pie crust, thawed

6 spring green onions

12 oz sliced mushrooms

2 Tablespoons dried chanterelle mushrooms

2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided

1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) plus 2 Tablespoons

¾ cup of all purpose flour

5 cups of chicken stock

4 sprigs of rosemary

6 sprigs of thyme

¼ cup of parsley, chopped

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the spring onions until all the dirt is removed. Peel the bulb until it has only white flesh. Slice off the root end and discard. Slice the white and pale green part until you get 2 cups. Slice the green part very thinly until you have ½ cup. Refrigerate the rest of the green part for future use. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the dried chanterelles and let them soak for about 15-20 minutes. In a large sauté pan, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the 2 cups of spring onions until soft and lightly brown about 5-6 minutes remove from the pan and place in a bowl. Heat the other tablespoon of butter and olive oil in the same pan over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms until all their liquid has been released and they are golden brown about 6-7 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and add to the bowl with the onions. Remove the chanterelles from the soaking water and finely dice. Add the chanterelles to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions. Save the chanterelle soaking liquid. In the same pan, heat the stick of butter over medium low heat.  When the butter is melted add the flour. Whisk the flour into the butter for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Slowly add the chicken stock whisking constantly. Pour the chanterelle soaking liquid into the broth leaving behind the grit. Add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Simmer over medium low heat for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Strain the broth mixture over a deep large sauté pan and discard the solids. Add the chicken, mushrooms and onion mixture, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Heat until chicken and mushroom mixture is hot about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and the ¼ cup of sliced green onion; reserve the remaining ¼ cup for garnish. Stir well and pour into a 2 quart round casserole dish. Mine is an 11” diameter that is 3 inches deep. Unroll the pie sleeve and place on top of the chicken mixture. Whisk the egg with about 1 tablespoon of water until well blended. Paint the egg wash over the pastry and slit the pastry with at least 3 two inch length vents for the hot air to escape. Bake for about 40 -45 minutes or until the pie crust is a deep golden brown. Let it rest for about 5 – 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls, garnish with remaining sliced green onions and serve.

6-8 servings