CHICKEN POT PIE

Even though it's technically Spring, I had to sneak in one last cool weather, comfort food recipe! It's one of my favorites as far as taste, cost and versatility: Chicken Pot Pie. There are a myriad of recipes for it, but I prefer a more classic take on the dish, straight from Betty Crocker herself. You can see the original recipe here. I actually follow it pretty closely! The one big change I make is that I use store bought, frozen pie crust and I use it on the top and bottom of the dish. I also add a couple diced potatoes, to make the dish heartier.

As I mentioned, this dish is very versatile. One of my favorite ways of using up leftover roast is to make a beef pot pie. Just replace the chicken broth with beef broth made with bouillon, and use diced beef instead of chicken. You can also use any vegetables you happen to have on hand.

If you purchase items on sale, I estimate this dish will cost about $4 to make. I used my .89/lb chicken and got my Pillsbury pie crusts for free, so our dinner costs me just over half that amount, or about .45 per person.

Chicken Pot Pie
Filling:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups frozen vegetables, thawed
2 medium sized Russet potatoes, washed & diced

Crust:
See recipe here. I use store bought!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Boil diced potatoes for about 7-9 minutes, until softened.

Combine chicken, vegetables and potatoes in a large bowl. Set aside.

Take one of the two pieces of pie crust and press it into the bottom of a greased casserole dish. some will come up the sides; it doesn't have to be pretty. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. I also add a few extra spices- a few dashes of poultry seasoning, as well as maybe some sage. Taste the sauce and make sure it's very flavorful. Everything you're pouring it on is pretty bland, so if the sauce needs more of a kick, add some more onion powder, salt, etc.

Pour sauce over chicken- vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour entire mixture into casserole dish. Place the other pie crust over the top. You can make it pretty and cut off the edges, but the pie crust is our favorite part, so I leave it all on.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.