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Vermont Chicken Pie
Serves 12
7-10 lb stewing chicken, cut into 4 pieces
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled, trippedm, and sliced
1 rib celery, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped
3 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup flour
salt
3 1/3 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
9 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
For the filling: put chicken, onions, carrots, celery, celery
leaves, parsley, sage, pepper, and 12 cups cold water into a large
pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam as it
appears. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is very
tender, 1 1/2-3 hours, depending on the weight and age of bird.
Transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside to
let cool briefly. Remove meat from bones and transfer to a bowl;
discard skin and retunr bones to stock. Cover meat with plastic
wrap and refrigerate overnight. Increase heat to medium and continue
simmering stock until rich and golden, about 3 hours more. Strain
stock, discarding solids. Set aside to let cool, then cover and
refrigerate overnight.
The next day, remove and discard solid layer of fat from stock,
then transfer stock to a medium pot and boil over medium heat until
reduced by half (to about five cups), 1-1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut meat into large pieces and put
into a large baking dish in an even layer. Whisk together flour
and 1 cup water in a bowl until smooth, then whish into stock over
medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, 4-6 minutes.
Season to taste with salt, then ladel gravy over chicken. Bake
until hot and bubbling, 10 minutes.
For the biscuits: sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into
a large bowl. Use two knives to work butter into flour until it
resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk with a fork until dough holds
together. Transfer to a floured surface and roll out to a thickness
of about 1/2 inch. Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter to cut out 12
disks, rolling out dough again if necessary.
Remove baking dish from oven and arrange biscuits on top of chicken
and gravy in a single layer. Return dish to oven and bake until
biscuits are fluffy and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set pie
aside on a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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Chicken 03