Name: Old Hen Chicken Pot Pie
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: One 4-pound fowl (stewing hen), cut into servings pieces; 1 medium onion, quartered; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 ribs celery (leaves included), each broken into 3 pieces; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup vegetable shortening; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen green peas; 2 tablespoons butter, melted; 2 medium carrots, scraped, cut into thin rounds, blanched 5 minutes in boiling water, and drained; ¼ cup ice water

Preparation info

Makes
6
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Glory of Southern Cooking

By James Villas

Published 2007

About

What makes many Southern chicken pot pies different from all others is not only the use of a full-flavored fowl (or stewing chicken), but also the layer of pastry strips within the pie itself, which provide a delectable contrast with the crispy top crust. Even in the South, it seems that old hens are harder and harder to find in supermarkets or even specialty food markets, so whenever I find one (especially on sale), I grab it and freeze it till I’m ready to make this pie—or the best chicke