Famous Chicken Pie
From the kitchen of Steelville Presbyterian Ladies
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cuts lard
- 2 cups water
- 1 large stewing hen
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
Instructions
Crust
- Sift flour, salt and baking powder.
- Work the lard into the flour mixture until crumbly.
- Mix in the water, stirring with a fork or slotted spoon until it clings together.
- Form a large ball and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Makes bottom and top crust for a 12”x15” baking pan, or you can make 2 smaller pies.
Filling
- Cook a large stewing hen (or you can use 2 large broilers) in enough water to cover, with a chopped onion, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until meat is very tender and will come off the bones easily.
- Let cool in broth until just warm enough to handle. Remove meat from bones, discarding all skin, fat and gristle. Cut into bite-size chunks.
- Line the bottom and sides of baking pan with the dough, rolled to a thin crust. It may tear, but just patch.
- Put the cubed chicken in the crust-lined pan (NO VEGETABLES!).
- Strain the broth and remove fat. Make a gravy of 4-5 cups of the broth, with enough flour dissolved in lukewarm water to thicken when stirred into the boiling broth. Let simmer until thickened.
- Pour desired amount of the gravy over the chicken and mix in gently with a fork Adjust the seasonings.
- Roll top pastry and cover the chicken mixture. Crimp edges and make several slits in the crust.
- Bake in 400-degree oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown and bubbly.