Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 quarts water
• 2 tsp kosher salt, for the broth
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the dough
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Before you cook

• Cut the chicken into 8 pieces or have the butcher do it.
• Quarter the onion and cut the celery and carrots into 1-inch pieces.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks, holding them in cold water.
• Chop the parsley and thyme.

Steps

1. Put the chicken pieces in a large heavy pot with the water, broth salt, pepper, bay leaves, and quartered onion.
2. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat so the surface barely trembles.
3. Skim off the gray foam that rises in the first few minutes and discard it.
4. Simmer the chicken uncovered for 60 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bone.
5. Lift the chicken pieces onto a platter and let them cool until you can handle them.
6. Mound the flour on the counter, mix in the dough salt, and make a well in the center.
7. Crack the eggs into the well, add the milk and softened butter, and work everything together into a stiff dough.
8. Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, until it is smooth, then cover it and let it rest for 20 minutes.
9. Pull the chicken meat from the bones in large pieces and discard the skin and bones.
10. Fish the onion quarters and bay leaves out of the broth and add the carrots, celery, and potatoes.
11. Bring the broth back to a hard boil.
12. Roll the rested dough on a well-floured counter to about an eighth of an inch thick, flouring both sides generously.
13. Cut the sheet into rough 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza wheel.
14. Drop the squares into the boiling broth one at a time, letting the liquid return to a boil between handfuls so they do not stick together.
15. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the dough squares are tender and the broth has thickened from their starch.
16. Uncover the pot, return the chicken meat to it, and simmer gently for 15 minutes more.
17. Taste and adjust the salt, stir in the parsley and thyme, and ladle the stew into deep bowls.