Watch CBS News

Rania's Recipes: Chicken Pot Pie & Lobster Pot Pie

There are many different ways to make a pot pie, but Rania Harris stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live to show off her recipes for chicken pot pie and lobster pot pie!

Chicken Pot Pie

To poach the chicken:

3# boneless chicken breasts
2 stalks celery sliced
1 large onion - quartered
1 bay leaf
2 carrots - peeled and sliced
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
24 whole small white onions - peeled
4 large carrots - peeled and cut into 2" diagonal pieces
4 large stalks celery - cut into 2" diagonal pieces
24 medium mushrooms - cut into halves
Butter for sautéing the mushrooms

White Sauce:

3 cups chicken stock
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Frozen puff pastry sheet to fit casserole with a 2 inch overhang

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the remaining poaching ingredients and cover with water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook the chicken for about 10 – 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Do not over cook, as the chicken will dry out.

Meanwhile, in a pot filled with just enough water to cover the vegetables, parboil the onions, celery and carrots just until crisp tender.

Sauté mushrooms with a small amount of butter. Set aside.

Cut the chicken breasts into large cubes. Combine with cooked vegetables in a 9 x 13-inch greased casserole.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

White Sauce:

In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour. Cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Finish sauce by adding chicken stock and season. Cook until sauce thickens. Pour sauce into casserole over chicken and vegetables and toss to coat completely.

Cover with a sheet of puff pastry to fit over the entire top of the casserole. Crimp the edges and vent in 3 or 4 places. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.

Lobster Pot Pie

1½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
¾ cup chopped fennel (1 fennel bulb)
¼ pound unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups fish stock or clam juice
1 tablespoon Pernod
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¾ pound cooked fresh lobster meat
1½ cups frozen whole peas
1½ cups frozen small whole onions
½ cup minced flat-leaf parsley

Pastry:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
5 – 6 tablespoons t ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or heavy cream, for egg wash

Directions

Sauté the onions and fennel with the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the heavy cream.

Cut the lobster meat into medium-sized cubes. Place the lobster, frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley in a bowl (there is no need to defrost the vegetables). Pour the sauce over the mixture and check the seasonings. Set aside.

For the crust, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough to fit a 10-inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Fill the dish with the lobster mixture, and top with the crust. Crimp the crust and brush with the egg wash. Make 4 or 5 slashes in the top crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Serves: 4 - 6

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.