Chicken Pot Pie

NOTE: I have not been very good at posting each week. To make up for it, I will post another recipe before this week is over!

--------------------------------

I love chicken pot pie. Its not very healthy, but it is very delicious. And although it is normally considered a blustery-wintery-day kind of food, I'll eat it anytime. Surprisingly, I have never actually made it from scratch. So here is my something new this week, a (mostly) traditional chicken pot pie.

I based this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's pot pie, with a few substitutions.

I started by making the crust. You could do a double crust for this, but I opted for just a top crust. I made the crust from scratch, which is easier than it sounds. You could easily use a frozen crust for this. 

Then I cooked the chicken breast. I think using dark meat in addition (or instead of) white meat would result in a richer, tastier pie, but I didn't have any on hand. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I live out in the desert, about 75 miles from the nearest grocery store. I find that I often don't have the right ingredients on hand and have to get creative. I was looking back on my last two posts and realized that "I didn't have [insert ingredient here]" is probably going to be a popular refrain in this blog.

So cook up your chicken, however you like (I boiled mine because its very quick). Set cooked chicken aside.

Dice up your carots, celery, onions, and whatever other veggies you like. I used cauliflower, and I think peas, corn, even green beans would be good.Throw those in a pot with some butter, and let that cook until the onions are translucent. 

Sprinkle the flour over the cooked veggies, then add in the broth and stir it well. Let that cook until it thickens up. If you want to add more flour, get some of the broth in a cup and whisk the flour in that. That way, when you pour the mixture into the pot, the flour won't clump up. 

Meanwhile, shred up the cooked chicken. Add the shredded chicken to the thickened broth/veggie mixture. Splash a little cream in there to make it...creamy. (This is optional if you like dairy free). Add spices.

Pour that into a buttered (or crusted) pan. Roll out your crust on top.

You could end here, or you could add an egg wash to the crust. Egg washes are very easy to make: beat one egg, add a little water, and voila! You've got an egg wash. 

Brush that over your crust, pop that baby in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Its a good idea to loosely cover the pie with foil for the first 15 mins of cooking so the crust doesn't burn.

Once the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, take it out of the oven, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

4 tbsp butter

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

any other veggies you think are delicious, diced

3 c. shredded cooked chicken

1/4 c. flour

3 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. turmeric

salt and pepper, thyme, to taste

1/4 cup or less cream

pie crust

1 egg

splash water

Preheat oven to 375.

Add butter and diced veggies to sauce pan, saute until onions are translucent.

Sprinkle flour over veggies, stir in broth. Let it cook down and reduce until you have achieved your personal desired thickness.

Add in cooked chicken, cream and spices.

Pour mixture into crusted or buttered pan. Top with crust.

Egg wash optional: mix egg with water, brush on crust.

Cook 25 to 30 minutes.

PS. With a recipe like this, its a good idea to add a pinch of salt every time you add a new ingredient to the pot. This will bring out all the flavors. Taste constantly, too!