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rowing up in Pennsylvania, in the land that my parents and their parents were raised, provided the basis for strong family traditions to take hold. These traditions are not only reflected in the places and events that we frequent as a family, but also the food that we share around the dinner table. Many of these meals have been passed down from generation to generation, through out both sides of my Pennsylvania Dutch family. And with every generation, the stories created around these recipes grow even more endearing. One meal that has a particular fondness to me is Chicken Pot Pie. Normally, Pot Pie is made inside of a crust, sort of like a pie. But, the Pennsylvania Dutch have another method and it has been a family favorite ever since I can remember. The big difference is the use of homemade noodles. Instead of a pie crust, we make homemade noodles
from scratch and bake them in with the rest of the Pot Pie’s delicious ingredients. Apart from its characteristic homemade noodles, this Pot Pie has heaping portions of potatoes, carrots, onions and spices. When cooked all together, the noodles and potatoes let off their starchy goodness, helping to thicken the stock that the Pot Pie begins with. This results in a delicious thick and creamy base that cradles the tender shredded chicken and flavorful potatoes and carrots. Even now, I can almost smell the simmering chicken in the oven, waiting to meet its doughy, starchy counterparts. Like so many other things in life, food, which is often accompanied by the wafting scents of warmth and security, leaves indelible reminders of happy times and the people we love. This meal often leads me to think of my Dad. It is one of his favorites, and as my brother and I get older, it gets made
less and less. However, if ever we find out during a chance Sunday afternoon visit that Dad has some let over Pot Pie in the fridge, you can bet we’re all fighting over it. Of course, the preparation of this recipe is almost as important as eating it with your loved ones. The preparation is where hours of work and anticipation, often times elbow to elbow with a family member, often yield the best stories and memories. I can still see my dad standing over our kitchen table, flour spread out everywhere, his arms moving the rolling pin over sheets of homeade dough. He would work tirelessly all afternoon, making dough, peeling and chopping potatoes and preparing the chicken, all in the hopes of creating this delicious stew-like mixture that warmed all our bodies and souls on the coldest of winter nights. But, I would be wrong if I didn’t mention the most important person in all of these
memories, the common thread through all of this - my partner in crime, my little brother. As scrawny, little, knobby-kneed kids, we would each take turns stealing pie dough from the kitchen table. When my Dad wasn’t looking, of course. But, I think my Dad knew knew. And he would turn his back for just long enough that we would be able to sneak those few pieces of dough and run squealing off into the family room, with the dough balled up in our tiny fists ready for us to enjoy. Every time, my brother and I orchestrated the most efficient dough-stealing routine two children could pull off. To this day, I don’t know what is more memorable, eating the Pot Pie when it was finished or sneaking bites before it had even gone into the oven. However, my Dad wasn’t the only adult making the Pot Pie in my house. My Mother also grew up eating this style of Pot Pie and she knew all the best tricks to making the
Chicken Pot Pie best Pot Pie and homemade noodles. Both my parents loved this recipe and both were obsessed over the Pot Pie noodles, but for different reasons. I suspect that my father was in love with the act of creating the meal with the quiet solitude that can come with making something that you know like the back of your hand. But for my mother, it was just an excuse to eat some Pot Pie dough. Whenever she made this recipe, there was no hiding her love for the dough. In fact, as unhealthy as it sounds, she would even make extra dough for us to snack on though out the day while the Pot Pie was baking a habit she still does to this day. So whenever my mom would make Pot Pie for us, it was expected that we would be eating a lot of dough cooked and uncooked. No stealing from the kitchen table was necessary. Strange as it may
sound, my Mom’s love of doughy Pot Pie helped create my first real comfort food: Pot Pie dough. Even into my early twenties, I would often find myself whipping up a batch of Pot Pie dough to eat in front of the T.V. after a long day at work. It’s really that good. And it’s all this goodness that keeps my family coming back for more. Even though it doesn’t get made too often anymore, the mere mention of Pot Pie elicits the same response from everyone in my family one of pure excitement. Now, over the years the recipe handed down through family members has taken a more ambiguous turn. Meaning, that no one person remembers exactly how the generation before used to make it, no matter what they like to say. We might add a little
more of this, or a little less of that, if we feel like it. And nowadays, I might just nix the chicken en all together, to make a healthier vegetarian option. However, no matter how the recipe changes, it doesn’t really matter, because where there is Pot Pie and homemade noodles, there is family. And actually, it was never really about the Chicken Pot Pie recipe anyways.
For the stock:
Noodles:
Fill a large dutch oven with about 2 quarts of water. Add the chopped onion, celery seed, garlic powder, parsley, bouillon cubes and the chicken. Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and then turn down to simmer for about an hour, or until chicken can be easily removed from the bones.When chicken is done, remove from the pot, reserving all of the stock.Turn off the burner until after the noodles are made.Remove chicken from bones and cut into small chunks and set aside.
2 1/2 cups flour 3/4 stick softened butter 1/3 cup milk 1 egg
For the noodles: Pour flour into a good sized mixing bowl and add softened butter and egg. Add about ½ teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste). Begin mixing using your hands, and then add milk. Completely mix dough with your hands until you reach desired consistency (you may need to add a little flour or a little more milk, depending...dough should not be sticky to the touch. If too sticky, add a little flour until just right. Flour your surface, then roll out dough with rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut slices the entire way across, and then the other direction, to form square noodles about 1-1/2” square.Bring stock to a rolling boil, add potatoes and carrots, and a handful of the noodles at a time. Stir soup after each addition of noodles to help keep them from sticking together. Cover again with lid, and let cook for about a half hour to 45 minutes, or until noodles are cooked completely through and the vegetables are done. When all is finished, add the chicken once again, to heat through, and serve. (Your broth will thicken up a little after you add your noodles.)
Stock: 4-5 chicken breasts 1 cup chopped onion 1 teaspoon celery seed 3 large potatoes 4 carrots (peeled and sliced into chunks) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons parsley 5 chicken bouillon cubes