Whether you read the book by Bonnie Garmus or are a fan of the new Apple TV+ series, food is an integral part of Lessons in Chemistry. One of the book’s signature dishes, and soon to be featured on episode 7 of the show, is a classic comfort meal: chicken pot pie. And while it's an iconic dish, according to the series’ food consultant, chef Courtney McBroom, it’s no easy feat to perfect any recipe after multiple trials and errors.
“If you think about photography, music or even television shows, you do the work once, then the work can be replicated in the exact same way for the masses,” McBroom tells EatingWell. “Replicating a dish—and to be clear, I’m not talking about mass-produced factory food, I’m talking about cooking from a recipe or in a restaurant—that’s an individual art, it takes a ton of work and then it’s gone in minutes. That’s the beauty of recipes: they are always changing because they never need to be permanent. In fact, it’s in their nature not to be.”
It’s one thing to salivate over the delicious descriptions of the food in the book. But in the show, it has to look just as delicious. Here’s what McBroom has to say about the components of the chicken pot pie her team focused on to get it to shine on screen:
“We needed to get the pie crust to be perfectly glossy, browned and flaky-looking,” she explains. “Then, we needed to nail the viscosity of the filling—do we want it to be really thick and hold up on its own, or be more soupy and saucy? We landed somewhere in between: thick and hearty, with just enough sauciness for the perfect mouthfeel.”
It's featured in the episode releasing on Friday, November 17, and we got the recipe ahead of time, so you can make it and enjoy a slice while watching. Read on to learn how to make the vintage-style chicken pot pie as shown in Lessons in Chemistry—and check out this cooking demonstration featuring McBroom for more tips!
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Chicken Pot Pie (from Lessons in Chemistry)
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Active time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours
Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 slice
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken stock, warmed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 pie dough discs (see recipe below)
- 1 large egg, beaten
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle flour and turmeric evenly over the vegetables. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Gradually add broth then heavy cream and whisk to combine. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. When the mixture begins to bubble, stir in parsley, thyme and chicken. Simmer, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9 or 10-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.
3. Roll out one disc of pie dough on a floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Place in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the chilled filling evenly into the dish. Roll the second disc of dough into a 13-inch circle and place it on top of the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, then fold and crimp the edges. Cut vents into the top crust, brush the top of the pie with the egg.
4. Bake the pot pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Dough:
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter, cold
- ½ - ⅓ cup ice-cold water
1. To make the dough: Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and toss them with the flour mixture to coat. Use your fingers to pinch and smash the butter into the dough, aim for nothing larger than hazelnut-sized chunks.
2. Add 1/2 cup water and mix gently to combine into a shaggy dough. If needed, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not knead or overmix.
3. Immediately roll the dough out on a generously floured work surface into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Fold opposite sides of the rectangle towards each other so they meet in the middle, then fold again along the seam, right in half, like a book. Fold once more in the opposite direction by bringing the short sides together. Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough in half. Flatten each piece into a disc. Use immediately, or wrap tightly and store in the fridge until ready to use.
To make ahead: You can make the filling 1 day ahead, and the dough up to 3 days ahead. It could also be frozen.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 slice (Calories 655, Fat 46g, Saturated Fat 28g, Cholesterol 183mg, Carbohydrates 37g, Total sugars 4g, Added sugars 2g, Protein 23g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 678mg, Potassium 356mg)
Note: We analyzed this recipe with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in the filling.
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