The leftovers from Thomas Jefferson’s Chicken Fricassee are even better when transformed into a
TJ’s Chicken Fricassee Leftovers Ingredients
- ½ tbsp olive oil1 large shallot, minced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 sage leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups leftover gravy
- 2 cups leftover chicken, shredded
- 2 large carrots, cooked and chopped into ½ inch coins
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½
cup frozen corn - 2 refrigerated pie crusts (or your own favorite recipe)
- 1 egg, whisked
Directions
- Pour the olive oil into a
sauce pan . Bring it to medium heat and add the shallot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Now toss in the sage leaves and sweat them down for a couple of minutes. Finish it off with the fresh black pepper and salt and give it all a good mix. - Pour in the leftover gravy and give it a good stir. Mix in the chicken, cooked carrots, frozen peas, and frozen corn, and give it all a good stir so everything is nicely coated. Remove from the heat.
ASSEMBLING THE POT PIE - Spread one refrigerated pie crust in the bottom of a
two pound loaf pan. Trim the edges that hang off the sides so you can use them for decoration. Pour in the pot-pie contents. Cut the second pie crust into a rectangle about 2 inches larger than the top of the loaf pan. Gently lay the top crust in place and carefully tuck it behind the bottom crust. - Use a sharp knife to cut the leftover pie crust into leaf shapes. You can make rosettes by cutting a ¼ inch strip, rolling it loosely, and gently pressing down in the middle to make the petals fold outwards. Turn any last scraps into little balls to punctuate the flowers and leaves.
- When you’re happy with your crust decorations, whisk an egg until nice and frothy. Use a pastry brush to gently paint the whisked egg over the entire surface. This will give your crust an attractive, shiny glaze. Subtly cut several air slits into the top crust
- Bake at 375F for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and gravy bubbles around the air slits. I usually place mine near the base of the leaves.
- Once assembled, you can freeze this entire pot pie and cook it another day. If you do freeze it, transfer the pot pie from the freezer to the fridge to thaw the night before cooking. Once it’s thawed, just pop it into a preheated 375F oven for 45-50 minutes.
Chicken Pot Pie Filling From Scratch
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch coins
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
- 8-10 sage leaves, sliced thin
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 cups pulled rotisserie chicken meat
- ½
cup frozen corn - ½ cup frozen peas
Directions
- Put a large
stock pot over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the carrots and onions and cook until the onions are barely browned. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika and give it a good stir. - Deglaze the pan with your dry white wine, stirring frequently. Pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth then add the thyme leaves, sliced sage leaves, and bay leaf. Let the mix gently simmer while you make the gravy.
- In another pan, melt 3 tbsp of butter. Once it’s frothy, add the 3 tbsp flour and whisk until the roux becomes golden brown in color. Once you’re happy with the roux, slowly whisk in your remaining 1 cup of broth. Once that’s nice and smooth, slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of half and half, whisking often.
- Pour your gravy into the stockpot with your carrot and onion mix and give everything a good stir. Add in the pulled rotisserie chicken meat. Bring the pot to a simmer and let reduce for about 10 minutes, until the gravy is thickened.
- When you’re satisfied with the gravy, add in the frozen corn and frozen peas and remove it from the heat.
From this point on, follow the same directions as above for assembling and baking the pot pie. This versio can also be frozen whole and cooked on another day. I often make two of them at a time and freeze one for later so I can pop it into the oven some future night when I don’t have time to cook.