Fusing Waffles with Pot Pie and Fried Chicken.

Waffles, a dish developed during Medieval Times.  Pot Pie, a dish originally created by the ancient Greeks, around 500 BCE.  Fried Chicken, a dish around for centuries, cooked up by West African slaves in the south, and that made a Colonel a household name.  Put all three together and the fusion of chicken and waffles was born.

Waffles are made from a batter, also used to make pancakes, which is baked inside a hot iron device. The device is basically two iron plates connected by a hinge which have a distinctive square indented pattern, and molds come in either a round or a square shape. The waffle originated in the Medieval Ages where the device was heated over a fire, and the batter created a light, crispy, and very thin “wafer”. With the invention of baking powder, the modern waffle could be created; and it can go beyond being a breakfast item. A solid square of ice cream between two small waffle squares becomes the “waffle ice cream sandwich”; an excellent treat anytime.

We are probably used to the “regular” waffle which is typically about ¼ inch in thickness.  But, have you ever eaten Belgium waffles?  While they require the same ingredients of flour, milk, eggs, butter or oil, these waffles include egg whites and yeast, not baking powder.  They are fluffier, about one inch in thickness, lighter and crispier in texture, and have deeper “pockets” for holding melted butter, syrups or preserves.  Now, use two Belgium waffles to create that ice cream sandwich, and fully experience, “I am in dessert heaven” overload.

While waffles are usually looked upon as a breakfast item, they can be served at lunch or dinner and mainly paired with chicken. In the Southern United States, fried chicken was often paired with waffles; the typical breakfast accessories of syrup and butter accompanied the waffles. While fried chicken has been made round the world, for centuries, it was the slaves of West Africa who introduced it to the southern colonists of the new world.  There is really no set recipe for the fried chicken used for southern style chicken and waffles.  Whether you buy a bucket of the Colonel’s own, use your granny’s homemade recipe, or heat up a box of the frozen kind found in the supermarket, make sure the waffles are large and in charge.

 

In Pennsylvania, the Amish serve the waffles covered with chicken and vegetables that have been cooked in gravy (brown or white).  Finding out the origin of pot pie was, at first, a surprise, and then it became a, “oh, that explains it”.  As I mentioned before, the Ancient Greeks originally made meat pies, called artocreas, with a bottom crust, but no top crust, and cooked in clay pots, hence “pot pies”.  The Romans went one step better by adding a top crust made from oil and flour.  Alright history buffs, the Romans invaded the lands, of what we call Europe, so it should not be any wonder that their cuisine came with them.  With the help of William Penn, of England, the Amish, persecuted, for their religious beliefs, were able to immigrate to the new world.  Where?  Pennsylvania, named after?  Yes!  William Penn.

History lesson over, now let’s make some chicken and waffles.

How to Make Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 eggs, separated

1 ¾ cups milk (or buttermilk)

4 Tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat waffle maker.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.  In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until they just start to hold a peak; not stiff; set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk egg yolks with milk and melted butter; gradually whisk this mixture into the dry ingredients, but not till completely smooth. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites and the batter will thicken.

Follow the waffle machine’s manufacturer’s directions on amount of batter to use for each waffle and cooking time.

Makes 4-6 waffles depending on maker used.

 

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Waffles

Ingredients:

1 small roasting chicken (2 and ½ lbs. to 3 lbs.)

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup mixture of diced onion, carrot and celery

5 cups chicken broth

¼ cup flour

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

Roast and shred chicken meat.  While chicken was roasting, melt butter in small skillet, over medium heat, and sauté vegetables until softened; set aside.

In a medium stockpot, over medium-high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil; whisk in flour quickly and incorporate well.  Reduce heat to low, add in chicken, vegetables and black pepper; cook for 20 minutes.

Ladle over prepared waffles.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 

Amish Pot Pie Done Up by An English.

Just to clarify something right from the start, my ancestry is not English; this is simply what the Amish call those outside of their faith and community. 

Being winter time, it can get pretty cold and snowy up here in the higher altitude of Southeastern Utah and comfort food is a must.  Depending on how this recipe is made, the broth can be thinner, almost like a soup; or thicker by the addition of flour or cornstarch.  It's all up to personal preference and we can take either/or.

Normally, when making the broth and cooking up the chicken; whole, cut up chicken (including bones and skin) are put into the stock pot.  This makes for a richer broth, true, but the broth I use is made after the whole chicken has been cooked; strained, put into the freezer for an hour and the fat scooped out.  Then I freeze the defatted broth for later usage.  Using boneless, skinless chicken doesn't add a significant amount of fat in making the leaner recipe.  An original recipe for Amish Chicken Pot Pie can be found Here, and I'm going to feature my own recipe in this post.  Try only one, try both and compare; then decide which you like better...it could be both!

The pot pie squares?  No, I don't make my own; I'm pasta making challenged.  My mother lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, so when I need the squares, she sends me what I need.  Not so lucky?  They can be ordered through the internet, just about like anything can; and I'm giving you the recipe for them anyway.  The dried pot pie squares cook up just as tender as the fresh, and absorb the flavor of the chicken broth.

Amish Chicken Pot Pie

(Less fat version)

 

Pot Pie Squares

Ingredients:

2 and ½ cups flour

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ tsp. salt

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

In the center of a large pastry board, mound the flour and make a well in the center.  In a small bowl, combine the eggs, water, butter and salt.  Pour the liquid into the flour well; gradually work the flour into the liquid from around the inside of the well; continue working around until all the flour is used.  Gather into a ball; knead until smooth and elastic.

Generously flour the board; roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness; cut the dough into two inch squares.

Makes 1 and ½ lbs. of pot pie squares; enough for six servings.

 

Amish Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 quarts water

1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. onion powder
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup diced celery
3 cups peeled potatoes, one inch cubes
6 cups chicken broth
1 and ½ lbs. (24 oz.) pot pie squares, divided into thirds
Fresh parsley, diced, for garnish

Preparation:

 

In a 7-quart pot, combine the water, salt, black pepper and onion powder; immerse the chicken into the water; cook on high heat for 15 minutes.  Remove chicken and rough chop; set aside.  Strain the liquid from the pot; place in a plastic container and into the freezer for a half hour; scoop out any fat that hardens at the top.  Use when preparing this recipe, or cover container, freeze for later use.

  

 

 

 

 

Into the pot, add the chicken broth, celery and potatoes; cook on high heat for 10 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

Reduce heat to medium, add in 1/3 of the pot pie squares; cook for 3 minutes and push down into the broth.  Repeat process with other 2/3s of pot pie squares; add chicken back into pot after the last third of squares has been pushed down.  Cook an additional 15 minutes; remove pot from heat and let rest for 10 minutes to allow broth to thicken.

 

 

Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of fresh parsley leaves.

Makes six servings.

Mary Cokenour

The Many Ways of a Traditional Comfort Food – Chicken Pot Pie

For generations, the pot pie has been a comfort food staple for many a family.  Whether it was made with chicken, beef, pork, seafood or simply vegetarian; the family ate well on a cold winter’s night.  Made from scratch, fresh or leftover meats, and vegetables, were encased in a crust, and then baked in an oven with a hearty simmering sauce.

The typical crust is the pie crust, browned and flaky with sauce oozing from slits made in the crust to help release steam.  However, many a recipe will replace the pie crust with biscuit dough, cornbread, or dumplings.  I, myself, experiment with various forms of dough, and have found that French bread dough gives the pot pie a very rustic flavor.

The Amish and Mennonite of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have a recipe for chicken pot pie which is not baked, but made in, as the name suggests, a pot.  Instead of a pie or bread topping, thick pasta squares are cooked in the sauce with the chicken and vegetables.  While these can be freshly homemade, they can also be purchased pre-made and dried; both methods work just as well.

Traditional Baked Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken

breast halves - cubed

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 Tbsp cup butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

4 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots and peas.  Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.  In a separate saucepan, cook potatoes until fork tender, drain; add to drained chicken and vegetables.

In the saucepan over medium heat, sauté’ onions and celery in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, paprika and thyme.  Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the chicken/veggie mixture in bottom of a 1 ½ quart baking dish. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with pie crust; crimp edge around dish.  Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is

bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mary Cokenour

January 17, 2011

Amish Chicken Pot Pie

(Source:Home Cooking at BellaOnline; http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6854.asp )

Pot Pie Squares ( the noodles )

·  3 cups flour

·  1 large egg

·  1 T. vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

·  1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Preparation -
Mix the flour, egg, and shortening together. Knead this dough mixture, while alternately adding small amounts of water until the dough holds together well. Divide the dough into two or three pieces. Roll each piece to about 1/8" thick on a floured board. Cut the rolled out dough into squares - about 2 inches to 2-1/2 inches wide. Allow the freshly made pot pie noodle squares to dry for about 30 minutes or more before cooking.

The Stew
Three to four cups of shredded chicken or turkey leftovers can be used instead of a whole stewing chicken for this recipe. When using leftovers, use chicken broth instead of the 2 quarts water. With leftover chicken or turkey. I use about 4 cans of chicken broth, such as College Inn® Broth.

·  1 - 3 lb. stewing chicken

·  2 quarts water

·  5 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into bite size chunks

·  2 cups chopped celery

·  1 small onion - chopped

·  1/2 cup finely diced carrots

·  1 T. dried parsley

·  1 tsp. salt

·  1/2 tsp. pepper

Preparation -
Cook the chicken in water until tender. Remove the chicken from the broth and separate the meat from the bones and skin. Cut or shred the cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, add the vegetables and seasonings to the simmering broth. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, then add the pot pie squares to the broth mixture, a few at a time, stirring frequently so they don't stick together. After all have been added, cook gently for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the noodles are tender.

Add the cut up chicken and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cover, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.