Chicken Pot Pie

Isn’t chicken pot pie widely considered comfort food?   It certainly is for me.  I remember, as a kid, having Swanson’s pot pies.  You know, the kind in aluminum bowls that took about an hour to bake?  We loved them!!  There was just something about them that tasted so good.

I’d always wanted to try making it myself and a few years ago, I thought I’d found the best recipe for chicken pot pie.  It was very good and I still like it.  It’s a pretty healthy version, while still being creamy with lots of flavor.

But last year, I came across this recipe and I have to say, it’s even better.  Tim and I love it.  He requested it for this week and I didn’t argue with him.

I’m a little embarrassed to say, Tim and I ate half of it that night.  That means we had 4 servings!!  We should probably have a salad or something with it, so we don’t chow down so much. But why fill up on other things when this is SO good?

I had it again two days this week for lunch.  I can eat leftovers all week and not get tired of it, especially when it’s this chicken pot pie.

Prepping your chicken or turkey

You can use either chicken or turkey.  This week, I made it with half of each.  Probably more meat than we needed, but it was SO good.

Around Thanksgiving, we took advantage of the HyVee special where you got a free turkey if you bought a ham.  We just recently roasted the turkey and I froze some of the leftovers.  I do that with chicken, too.  When it goes on special, I buy extra, cook it, cut it up (or shred it) and freeze it.  Then I have it handy whenever I want to make pot pie, soup, chicken enchiladas or chicken and noodles.

There are several ways to cook the chicken, but I like to poach it.  I keep it unseasoned so it can adapt to any recipe I need it for.  I know others suggest baking it, which works as well.  I simply find poaching to be the easiest.

Baking tips

This recipe is baked in a pie plate, as opposed to my other recipe which is baked in individual dishes.  It actually makes it a little easier to put together because the pie crust doesn’t have to be split among several bowls.  I might try making it into individual servings someday, but then I would have to make each dish hold a double serving!!!

I also like this recipe because I can use regular (which for us is skim) milk.  You’ll see how thick and creamy the sauce is without using cream or higher fat milk.  I guess it does use a fair amount of butter!!

And using a ready-made pie crust makes it quick and easy to whip up.  If you’re adventurous (or have lots of time), you could make your own pie crust.  I’m sticking with the ready-made stuff.  Just make sure you take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you’re ready to use it.

I put the pie plate on a baking sheet this time, but I haven’t before.  This one seemed to be so full of creamy goodness, I was afraid it would bubble over a little.  And it did, so it was smart of me to use it!!

Your prep time could vary from mine.  I put 40-60 minutes in the recipe.  The original recipe called for 40 but I found it took me a little longer.  However, the more I’ve made it, the faster it comes together.  The key is starting the sauce while you’re cooking the potatoes and carrots.

The recipe also says to let it sit 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven.  I think that’s a good idea, but we usually can’t wait that long to dig in!!

I hope you like this recipe.  Please let me know if you give it a try.

What are your comfort foods???

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Chicken Pot Pie

This chicken pot pie recipe is easy, tasty and a good way to use leftover chicken (or turkey). It can also be made ahead and frozen.

Course Main Dish

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 c. diced peeled potatoes
• 3/4 c. sliced carrots
• 1/2 c. butter, cubed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/2 t. dried thyme
• 3/8 t. black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 3/4 c. milk (any type, skim works fine)
• 2 c. cooked chicken, cubed (you can use turkey too)
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 package refrigerated pie crust

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Place potatoes and carrots in medium saucepan; add water to cover.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook covered, 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. (Check after about 5 minutes. These cook pretty fast and you don't want them to get mushy.) Drain.
4. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat.
5. Add onion. Cook and stir until tender.
6. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended.
7. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.
8. Stir in chicken, peas, corn and the potato mixture. Remove from heat.
9. Unroll a pastry sheet into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim even with rims.
10. Add chicken mixture.
    
11. Unroll remaining pastry sheet and place over the filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in the top.
12. Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. (I usually check it around 25 minutes to make sure the edges aren't getting too dark. With my oven, the back side browns faster so I rotate it after 25 minutes.)
13. Let it stand 15 minutes before cutting (if you can wait that long).

Recipe Notes

You can cover and freeze the unbaked pie.  To use later, remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw).  Preheat the oven to 425.  Place pie on a baking sheet and cover the edges loosely with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce oven setting to 350.  Bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165.

Recipe from Taste of Home

www.retiredintrovert.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie