Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is a wonderful comfort food for the upcoming rainy days this spring. With two young children at home, I am all about fast and easy. However, this recipe takes a little longer, but is well worth the effort. 

I am laughing at myself a little for posting this particular recipe as we are in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis. I have had an extremely hard time getting my hands on chicken or frozen veggies. Hopefully you have had more luck than I have. We were able to find a whole hen at the store and my husband grilled it for us. When I was planning dinner the other night, the chicken leftovers came to my mind and inspired a Chicken Pot Pie meal. 

Apparently in Indiana, the spring is filled with a lot of rain. This amount of rain will be a big change for us. We like to joke in Wyoming that we only have 2 seasons. Our spring and fall last about 2 weeks each. The fall here was wonderful. There were so many leaves and different colors that I had never experienced. I look forward to seeing what the spring brings. I can just imagine already how beautiful it is going to be. 

Chicken Pot Pie

Find the Chicken Pot Pie Recipe HERE

Ingredients

3 c. frozen veggies or 1 c. fresh carrots, 1 c. peas. 1 c. corn
2-3 c. chicken
1 onion
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken stock - split
1/2 c. Cooking Sherry
1/2 c. Half and Half
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg yolk beat with 1 tsp water
pie crust (homemade pie crust or store bought)

Directions

To start, make your pie crust. You can also use a store bought pie crust and that will work just fine as a base for your Chicken Pot Pie. 

My go-to homemade pie crust recipe from my mother-in-law can be found here.

Mix 2 ½ c flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt

Cut up 2 ½ sticks butter into small slices and mix into the flour mixture

Take a pastry cutter if needed to make the butter pieces pea sized

Slowly mix in 6-8 tbsp ice water 

Split the dough into 2 sections

Wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling

I personally use a stand mixer for this pie crust. Using a food processor is probably the correct way to chop up the butter. However, I only have a small food processor and it would take me way too long. I have found using a stand mixer and a pastry cutter, if needed, is sufficient (and easier). 

Next, I like to give the onions a long time to saute over medium heat. Many recipes say just to saute until transparent, for roughly 5 minutes, but I personally like my onions to have a caramelized flavor. Therefore, I like to take the time to burn them just a little, add some water to the pan and continue cooking the onions in that caramelized flavor. This means you have to set the time aside to get this done. 

If you are using fresh veggies this is the time to cut them and saute them.

Since I am often short on time, I use the frozen veggies from Walmart. They are easy and inexpensive. This is the time to go ahead and cook those veggies, as well. 

If your chicken is not already cooked, now is the time to toss it in with the onions and cook your chicken. I really like having leftover meat on hand to put into meals such as Chicken Pot Pie. For some reason when I don’t have to cook the meat in addition to putting the rest of the meal together, meals like this seem much more doable. 

After your chicken is cooked, add 1 cup chicken broth and ¼ cup flour. Stir the flour in well to create a paste and then add the remaining 1 cup chicken broth. 

Add your cooked veggies, Cooking Sherry, Half and Half and parsley to the filling and stir. I did not have Cooking Sherry or white wine when making this dish last time, so I had to find a substitute. I did some research and you can use Apple Cider Vinegar instead. However, make sure you use ¼ cup vinegar and  ¼ cup water. 

Bring this to a simmer and turn down your heat for 10 minutes. 

While the filling is simmering, place the pie dough into a 9 in. deep dish pie pan. Poke the dough with a fork. 

Now, transfer the filling into the pie pan. Place the top pie crust over the filling and brush the surface with the egg mixture. Cut some slits in the top with a knife.

I like to place the pie pan on a baking sheet to prevent any spills from occuring in my oven. I like an easier clean up even though my husband would say I dirty every dish in the house when I cook. 

Bake your Chicken Pot Pie uncovered at 400°F for roughly 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. If you need to add some time that is fine.

Stay safe and sane while we go through this madness with the Coronavirus. I hope this recipe has given you some inspiration for your dinner menu this week, but only if you are one of the lucky ones who has been able to find chicken. ;)