Charles and Winifred Harrow began baking at Harrow’s Rustic Roost in Reading in the 1930s. Walter Arsenault bought the place and today sons Wally and Dan Arsenault cook at Harrows Chicken Pies from the original recipe. A flaky, golden crust tops moist chicken chunks, potatoes, and carrots nestled in creamy gravy. On a recent afternoon, Wally’s son Eric was baking a tray of aromatic pies. He’s the third generation in the business.
In cool weather, the Arsenaults make more than 5,000 pies a week with bone-in breasts. “The chicken simmers for a long time in its own juices, and the remaining stock becomes the base for the gravy,” says Wally Arsenault. Pastry is made from scratch, as are sides of mashed potatoes ($3.75 a pint) and squash ($4.50 a pint).
Advertisement
Bake your all-chicken or chicken and vegetable pie at home, or call ahead to have a hot one ready ($5.50 for a single serving pie to $20.75 for a 6-serving pie). This is your grandmother’s deep dish pie and it’s all comfort.
Harrows Chicken Pies, 126 Main St., 781-944-0410;
275 Mystic Ave., Medford, 781-306-0410; 352 Broadway, Saugus, 781-231-7410; 345 Main St., Tewksbury, 978-858-0411, or go to www.chickenpie.com.
DEBRA SAMUELS