Chicken Pot Pie

Here’s a family-favorite dish that’s perfect on these cool autumn evenings. Pot pie is much healthier than you’d think if you don’t use canned or boxed ingredients. I’ll admit that making this dish completely from scratch creates a lot of dirty dishes, but it really only takes 30 minutes of active work time, and you can clean everything up while the pie bakes, with time to spare! I’ve included two versions of the recipe, one for a regular pie plate and the second for a 9×13 baking dish when you want to serve about 12 people.

Makes 8 servings

Filling:

Pie dough for 2 crusts, unbaked (recipe below)
2 TBL butter
2 TBL flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp dried minced onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables (or peas and carrots) –no need to thaw
8 oz. white potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled until they just begin to soften

Pie dough for 2 crusts:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp salt
6 or 7 TBL ice water

Make your pie crust: combine flour, shortening and salt with a fork until well blended. Stir in water a little at a time until dough comes together. Shape dough into a ball and refrigerate until ready to use. To use, divide into two parts on a floured surface. Roll each part into a disk a few inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate.

Preheat oven to 425. Line deep-dish pie plate with one crust. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat and stir in flour, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly for one minute. Stir in chicken and veggies. Pour into pie crust. Top with the second pie crust. Seal edges, cut fancy slits for airing. Bake on cookie sheet 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

(If you make this pie early in the day and then refrigerate, put the pie in a cold oven, set oven to 425 and bake about an hour.)

Big Honkin’ Chicken Pot Pie
(Make this in a 13×9 ceramic baking dish. Serves 12)

Pie dough for 3 crusts:
3 1/4 cup flour
1 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
12 Tbl ice water

Filling:

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 pound white potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled until they just begin to soften
3 TBL Butter
3 TBL Flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup milk

Follow directions as above.