Lois Oliver's Chicken Pie

[Mayhaw Man]

Lois Oliver's Chicken Pie

Serves 8 as Main Dish.

This recipe is referenced in this thread

I am not going to lecture on the difference between what Mrs. Swanson called Chicken Pot Pie and what people in the Mississippi River Delta call Chicken Pie, except to safely say that when you have had the Delta version, you will be kicking Mrs. Swanson's yankee ass into the kitchen to keep her busy washing the dishes and keep her away from the stove. This stuff looks simple and plain, but it is one of the most sublime dishes in the whole traditional Delta cookbook of tricks. It takes some time, and you will probably never get the same amount of satisfaction out of cooking it that I do (I can remember begging my Grandmother to cook this stuff-I like it cold as much as I like it hot and when a dish was made i would, literally, eat it for every meal until it was gone) as it brings up memories of hot kitchens, old stoves, and the memory of a smell that I am certain will be the first thing I smell after St. Pete opens The Gate. It's really, really good. Really.

Serve with peas, fresh corn and cold, lightly vinegared tomatoes.

This is from my mother's cookbook-a gift of love like no other-I will be forever grateful to her for doing it for us boys.

Make this stuff. You will do it again and again. Sublime Southern eating at it's very, very best.

Brooks

I should also add that my wife, who although born here is from a family of Iowans adds carrots to this (never peas-that is just plain wrong-I feel as strongly about that as all of those Texans do about those damn red kidneys in Chili). I have added very thin bell pepper strips of various colors under the pastry and that looks nice and adds a nice flavor.

Lois Oliver's Chicken Pie

Cook 1 whole roasting chicken in 3 qts. of water seasoned with onion, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, garlic, (your choice-I use tarragon, basil, and parsley), a little tabasco and some worcestershire. When chicken is done (falling from bone) debone and cut into bite size pieces. Strain and reserve stock to cook the dumplings in.

Dumplings:

1 1/2 cups SR flour

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

Cut shortening into flour until it resembles corn meal. Add milk just until it will hold the mixture together.

Roll onto a floured surface until very thin

Cut into small squares and drop into simmering broth (do not stir the dumplings-just shake the pot to keep them from sticking. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes in a covered pot on very low simmer.

Pastry

1 1/2 cups SR flour

1/4 cup crisco

1/4 cup lard (you can use 1/2 cup shortening if you are scared of lard)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup milk

Roll onto a floured surface and cut into strips. Dough will be pretty sticky before rolling out.

Make 1 1/2 cups cooked rice while you are doing all of the other stuff

Layer a 13 X 9 dish in this order

1) Dumplings to cover bottom of dish

2) Rice-spread evenly

3) Cut up chicken

4) Repeat layers 1 time

5) Crack black pepper over the top layer before putting on pastry

Lay pastry in strips on top of the above layer (my grandmother latticed the stuff-it looks cool but I never do it and neither does my mom)

Dot the top with butter chunks and bake at 350F until golden and bubbly. I usually add some chicken broth to make it pretty soupy before baking and that will guarantee that it will not be dry.

Keywords: Intermediate, Main Dish, Chicken, American

( RG1026 )