Venezuelan-style Chicken Pot Pie (Polvorosa de pollo)

The empanada, or polvorosa, of today's recipe can be made with chicken, beef, fish or sweet ingredients. Oftentimes, salty ingredients are joined with sweet ones, giving the polvorosa a distinct flavor. One delicious example of such a combination is the pastella moruna, which includes raisins, sugar, and cinnamon in the flour mixture along with chicken or fish.

Nowadays, this kind of small dish is popular in the large cities of the U.S. The galician empanada continues to reign among Hispanics because of the impact of Spanish migration into Latin America and its rise as a food enjoyed during holidays and festivals. Across the continent, peoples changed how to make the flour mixture and filling, but left the empanada gallega intact. This is how the polvorosa came to be and also all the other related pies and empanadas of Hispanic cuisines enjoyed from Argentina to the Caribbean.

But it doesn't have to be a holiday to enjoy polvorosas. They're perfect for a party or gathering of friends. It's a food of friendship.

Yields 10 to 12 portions

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika


For the stew:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
2 tomatoes, skinless and seedless, diced
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons small capers
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons raisins
8 ounces tomato sauce
½ cup white wine
¼ cup unrefined whole cane sugar (panela) or brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste


Dough:

9 ounces margarine
2½ ounces sugar
5 egg yolks
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups wheat flour, sifted
1 egg, beaten with one teaspoon water


Preparation:

1. Remove excess fat from chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Place in a plastic sealable bag, and marinate with the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. Take chicken breasts from refrigerator and remove excess marinade.
3. In a medium-size pan, sear chicken in 1 tablespoon of hot oil for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan, and cook at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, scallions and parsley and cook 2–3 more minutes. Add the additional ingredients and cook at medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken breasts, cover and cook for 15–20 minutes at medium heat.
6. Uncover, turn off the heat and remove chicken from the stew. Set aside. When cool, cut in small cubes. Let chicken and sauce cool separately.
7. Place margarine and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Add egg yolks one at a time and continue mixing. Add salt, and slowly add the sifted flour. Mix well with a spoon and finish mixing with fingers, but do not knead.
8. Divide dough in two slightly uneven parts. Place the larger amount of dough over wax paper. Cover with wax paper, and stretch with a rolling pin until the dough is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a baking pan, approximately 10” x 14”. The dough must be ¼”-thick.
9. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough. Stretch dough until it is somewhat larger than the baking pan, enough to become the “cover” of the chicken pot pie.
10. Cover both dough pieces and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes until cool.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
12. Remove the wax paper and gently place dough inside an ovenproof pan, making sure dough covers all sides of pan. With your fingers, press dough against bottom and sides of pan.
13. Spread alternating layers of stew and chicken until baking pan is filled. Top with a layer of stew.
14. Place dough “cover” over the pan, and seal by pressing with fingers.
15. Brush egg and water mixture over top dough layer.  
16. Bake for 45–50 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Watch the video of this recipe.

To learn more about me or my recipes, visit me at DenisseTable and at AARP, where I am a chef and nutrition expert.

Other recipes by Denisse:
A Tale of Two Gazpachos
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Mexican Shredded Chicken in Smoky Tomato Sauce
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