Griggstown Quail Farm's Chicken Potpie

[Holly Moore]

What can I say. My mom was a great cook but when it came to piping hot chicken pot pies for the family, Swanson's or Myer's it was.

At the Headhouse Square Farmer's Market this past Sunday I picked up a Griggstown Quail Farm's chicken potpie. One of the large ones - $17. I had been eying them since my first visit to the market. Rick Nichols' Sunday Inquirer Column nudged me into action.

I baked it off a couple of nights ago. Nothing to do prep wise. No foil around the edge of the crust. No brushing with butter or milk. Just plop it on a baking sheet and into a 400 degree oven for a little over an hour.

It was fantastic - incredible aroma, crisp flaky crust (that had to be lard based but Rick Nichols says isn't), packed solid inside. What surprised me was no creamy gravy, just an intense flavor of chicken stock. Big chunks of Griggstown reared chicken along with whatever happens to be growing in their vegetable patch.

Best frozen food I have ever cooked. I don't see how anything of that quality level can survive a freezer, but the Griggstown chicken pie flourishes. Leftover chicken pie tastes almost as good zapped in the microwave a couple of days later.

I'm seeing it on my shopping list every Sunday.

[Diann]

That crust is unreal. I could eat it all day long... (just the crust)

[Chris Amirault]

Does it have a lard-based crust? Any ideas about the process they use to freeze it?

[mattohara]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything Holly says. It's The Best. scase told me to get one and it's pot pie heaven!

Get the big one because you'll be pining for the fjords when your little one is all gone. I want to know where I can get these when the market is closed down in the winter!

[mrbigjas]

griggstown is a little over an hour away, near princeton junction. maybe you can organize a purchasing expedition up there...

[mattohara]

haha, i'll glady phillycarshare up there in the winter to get the goods!

[mrbigjas]

no need, i have a car. but let's worry about that when the time comes.

as an aside, i asked the dudes from griggstown if they'd sell me a whole duck, and they said maybe they might have a couple in a couple weeks. i said, how about duck legs? he said, no, they keep them and make confit from them to sell. dang.

[I_call_the_duck]

jas, if you just want duck legs, you can get a whole duck and I'll gladly take the rest off your hands.

[Megan Kathleen]

Six of us shared a big pot pie on Saturday night. We served it with a big green salad, and it met unanimous approval. One of my friends was confused; having misread the box, he thought it was a quail pot pie.

I suspect I could eat a small one on my own. Chase the dogs out, pop that little thing in the oven, fire it up 'till it's bubbly, crack open a brew and chill.

We like their chicken sausages, too.

Next on my list: hand pies.

(Suddenly, the bag of pretzels on my desk looks so sad.)

Yes, road trip to Griggstown.

I, too, would be happy to drive; I can fit four others in my ride with plenty of room for the goods.

[Holly Moore]

While purchasing another pie yesterday at the Headhouse Market, I asked the pie man if the chicken pie would be available in the Philadelphia area after the market closed of the season. He said they were talking with a couple of markets and that it was very possible one or more markets would be offering the pie. No details as to whom.

[mattohara]

they brought NINETY pies last weekend and were sold out by noon. and i got there after noon. !@#$

[Rich Pawlak]

Hard to believe but I bought my first Griggstown chicken pot pie on Sunday at the Lawrenceville Famers Market, along with some of theiur chicken and broccoli rabe sausages.

Great googly moogly, that is one hell of a pot pie.

[mattohara]

uh, do you have any leftovers? My mom's making stovetop.

[rae]

After hearing about this pie for a while, dagordon and I finally picked one up. We were scared to have high expectations bc we hate being disappointed, but this pie... Wow, it surpassed all expectations and more. Possibly the best chicken pot pie we've ever had.

And good news for us Philly folks for this winter (bc I plan on eating a pie a week), Fair Foods Farmstand sells them in small and large sizes. That's where we got ours.

[KatieLoeb]

Since I work into the wee hours of the morning on Saturday nights, I never ever make it to the Head House market before they're about to close, though it's a short two blocks from my front door. I saw the Griggstown Farm fellow packing up his wares and inquired after the pot pies, fully expecting him to tell me he was sold out. He wasn't, having brought extra to feed the high demand from the last few weeks, but I was out of money at that point, having only stuffed a twenty and a few ones in my pocket before running out my front door Sunday afternoon, and having bought all my produce and miscellany for the week already. Damn!

I will bring a gold bar with me next Sunday if I must. I gotta get me one of them pies. I've scheduled an appointment with one of those pies for dinner next Monday evening when I'm off. I have a choice of a couple of different bottles of wine to accompany, having gone wine shopping in a <cough> neighboring state this afternoon. I can hardly wait.

Edited October 9, 2007 by KatieLoeb (log)

[mattohara]

maybe some mead or some cider would go well with one...

[Andrew Fenton]

I bought one of the pies on Sunday, and it is indeed a good pie. It's unquestionably the best frozen pot pie I've had. That said, it's not as good as a good homemade pot pie (mine, for example): too salty, has less white meat than I like, and has a crust that's very good but not exceptional.

On the other hand, it has a wider variety of vegetables than I can usually swing for a chicken pie (because who wants to cook half a parsnip?) And most importantly of all, I didn't have to cook it...

[mattohara]

either you got the wrong pot pie or you're a god amongst pot pie makers. if it's the latter, please give me a call some time, i'd love to invite myself over.

[Andrew Fenton]

Well, some of those criteria (salt level, type of meat, variety of vegetables) are totally subjective. The only really objective criterion is in the pie crust. And I do make a good pie crust; the next time I do, you're welcome to come over...

[KatieLoeb]

maybe some mead or some cider would go well with one...

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I'm sure that would be delicious as well. A nice funky sour ale might be good too, to match with the earthy root veggies within.

There's no lack of beverage possibilities for food pairing. One of the reasons I like to host cocktail dinners from time to time to broaden everyone's horizons. Not sure where I'd go with a cocktail to pair with chicken pot pie. Maybe a ginger ale based tall drink of some sort?

[Andrew Fenton]

That Pimm's iced tea they do at snackbar would probably go pretty well with pot pie...

[bshapiro]

Easy to get year round:

Griggstown's Website

B

[mattohara]

Duchesse de Bourgogne

edit: thanks for the link bshapiro! i didn't think they would have such a big operation.

Edited October 9, 2007 by mattohara (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Duchesse de Bourgogne

←

Precisely what I was thinking.

[TarteTatin]

How funny. We just finished dinner, and that is also what we had tonight!

Sam loved it, he found the pastry very good too.

I thought it was really good for chicken pot pie.

Just don't like chicken pot pie much.

I like the Griggstown Poussin, and their duck breast, and fresh mozzarella. This we'll get again for himself.

We had a Sauvignon Blanc with it. Went well.

Also don't like daube, even in France. Ok, I do sort of like it, but really prefer other things.

It reminds me of the brisket we had every Friday night (that or chicken) in a household of 7 growing up. I know, good daube is really nothing like that, but...it's just those memories.