Chicken Pie
In the decades after the Civil War a temple to Chicken Pie emerged in the small railroad town of Smithville in Lee County, Georgia. Built of wood, three stories tall, with a veranda and dining room, the McAfee Hotel arose in the decade after the war across the street from the depot of the Central of Georgia Railroad. Smithville was the central transfer point for passengers going from Atlanta to Montgomery AL, and the timing of the various trains permitted taking a meal during the layover period. The meal at the McAfee consisted of smoking hot Chicken Pie and Scuppernong Wine. The pie became so famous that the hotel became known as “The Chicken Pie House.” And savoring a forkful of gravy laden chicken and pie crust formed a memorable feature of the culinary experience of nearly every traveler through Southwest Georgia. The McAfee remained a shrine until the rise of the automobile, when train travel declined in importance. The hotel fell victim to fire in 1933.
But memories of chicken pie die hard. And small Georgia towns hold firm to recollections of past glories. So in 1996 Smithville organized a Chicken Pie Festival to honor the dish that made three generations of Georgians smile when they thought of Smithville. Each year since then, on a weekend in late October or early November thousands of people fill Main Street, witness the Chicken Pie Contest, enjoy the Classic Car Show, feast at vendors’ tables, and revel in the afternoon of entertainment.
Classic Chicken Pie is not the same as Chicken Pot Pie. It is a much purer and simpler thing: cooked chicken, chicken gravy, and pie pastry (usually lattice topped, but sometimes a full top crust). There are no green peas, celery, or carrot cubes. There are no vegetables at all to distract one from the sumptuous savor of yardbird in yardbird sauce.
Mrs. S. R. Dull, the matriarch of early 20th century Georgia cookery, provided a classic instruction on how to make the true chicken pie. Pay close attention:
“The chicken is boiled in a small amount of water, just enough to cook it tender, about two cups. Salt, just a little, is added to this and when done there is not more than a cup or less of the water or liquid, and this is used in the pie along with butter and milk. When makigm a pie my rule is to line only the sides of the pan with pastry, leaving the bottom free, which method makes it less apt to scorch. A layer of chicken, salt (if needed), pepper and butter is added, then a layer of pastry, which is rolled thin, cut in strips about an inch wide or little more and placed criss-cross over the chicken. Another layer of chicken and pastry is added until all is used. Then the liquid from boiling, with sufficient milk, is added and should come about three-fourths of the depth of the pie. When all of this is in, the top crust is placed over the entire top. Many punctures with a fork over the pastry are made and generous cross cut in the center, and the pie is ready for the oven.” The pie is cooked in a moderate over until the top crust is crisp and brown. The venting of the top crust or the use of a lattice top releases the steam and prevents the contents from boiling over the sides of the pie pan.
Mrs. Dull was a classicist when it came to flavoring the filling of the pie. Nutmeg or mace, Worcestershire Sauce, bay leaf, and powdered ginger have entered in the formulae of the winners of the Smithville contest. There is a sect of chicken pie makes that incorporate sliced hard-boiled egg into the fabric of the pie, arguing the egg is rightly a component of the chicken. This verges on specious reasoning. But since I haven’t tasted the end result, I will not render a final judgment yay or nay.
Sources: Mrs. S. R. Dull, “Ye Goode Olde Chicken Pie,” Atlanta Journal (June 30, 1929), 101. Lee Stanley, “Smithville, A Town Rich in History,” Lee County Ledger (January 15, 2004), 5. “Leah McCrary Wins Chicken Pie Festival Contest,” The Lee County Ledger (November 2, 2005), 8.
This is a fascinating story, well told. Thank you for sharing, Dave!