Chicken Pot Pie (OOTC Recipe - Version 2)

75 lbs Chicken
10 onions, minced
3 heads celery, minced
3 heads celery, diced
4-5 carrots, per pan
½ cups fat for each large pan
1 ½ cups flour for each large pan
6-8 litres liquid, either milk or chicken/vegetable stock
2 to 4 large cans mushrooms
Pastry to cover

Rinse the chicken pieces quickly under cold water and fill 3 to 4 of the deep pans half full of chicken. Cover with cold water and put in the convection ovens to poach for about an hour at 350 0F – 400 0F. No need to cover.

Then lift chicken pieces onto those big shallow baking trays to cool. As soon as it can be handled, start cleaning any gristle or fat or bone off it. Cut or pull into nice large-ish pieces (large dice).

Put the chicken water into a big pot.

While chicken is cooking, sweat about 10 minced onions and 3 heads of minced celery in the big round pans to make a mirepoix – until soft and golden; distribute into the large roasting pans.

Someone should be peeling celery and carrots - say 3 heads of celery and 4-5 carrots per pan – cutting into small pieces and blanching them in a big pot half full of water till just done. Save the blanching water for the gravy.

Make gravy: you can use any chicken fat and butter to make a gravy starting with equal chicken fat/butter to flour; cook together till it looks like cottage cheese. It will take about 1 ½ cups of fat + 1 ½ cups flour – maybe more – for each large pan + about 6-8 litres liquid. You can use some milk too, and the chicken/vegetable water stock (You can also use the chicken gravy in the pantry). Season to taste.

You can add 2 to 4 large cans of mushrooms to this too; just drain and rinse them. If there are any bags of frozen pea around I suppose you could throw a cup or two in each pan. Distribute the vegetables and chicken in the pans; add enough gravy to make the mix nice and cover with saran. (Not tinfoil). Next day - cover with pastry and bake for about 20 minutes to cook the pastry and heat the pans.