Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie - always have. Chicken pot pie is one of those comfort foods that just warms you and gives you a "I am satisfied" feeling after you have devoured all the savory goodness.

The filling recipe was enough for 3 pies and using the scraps from the first two pies I was able to re-roll the dough to get the third pie. I like pre made pie crusts for this recipe - the texture, the salty flavor and of course the ease of it. If you can catch a two for $4.00 grab the crust. Vegetables that are frozen work perfectly for this kind of recipe and you can swap out any vegetable in the recipe for a different one.
To make it vegetarian, use vegetable broth and omit the chicken and add veggies of your choice.

The flavors that develop from the sauce - so yummy.

The tins were the perfect size - a hefty portion I might add. The measurement from side to side is 7". I picked them up at Ocean State Job Lot for a cost of .25 cents each.

To cut out the top crust rounds I placed a tin on the dough and made a slight impression. Then I cut about 1/2" circle past the edge of the dough. I did this for two crusts and like I said earlier took the outer scraps and re-rolled to make the third crust top.

• pre made pie crust - one pkg.
• chicken - about 1 1/2 pounds - cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups chicken broth - room temperature or warmed a bit in a sauce pot
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup cooked carrots
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1 1/2 cups cooked baby potatoes (red or Yukon are perfect) - cut into medium pieces
• 1/2 cup onion - small dice
• 1/2 cup celery - small dice (use the leaves as well for added flavor)
• 1/2 cup frozen pearl onions
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary - finely minced
• 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic - plus more for sprinkling on the chicken
• onion powder to taste - for sprinkling on the chicken
• salt and pepper to taste - for sprinkling on the chicken PLUS extra for the filling (1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper)
• 4 tbsp. butter - for the roux PLUS 1 tbsp. for lightly browning the chicken
• 4 tbsp. flour - for the roux
• 1 tbsp. olive oil - for lightly browning the chicken and a little bit poured over the chicken.
• 1 egg beaten for an egg wash
• coarse salt (kosher or sea) for sprinkling over the top of the crust

1. Cook the potatoes and carrots in their own pot until they reach the el dente stage. Drain and set aside.
2. Next step is prepping and seasoning the chicken. In a bowl large enough, add in the chicken pieces and pour a little olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle on to taste: salt, pepper, onion powder and granulated garlic. Mix well.
3. In a deep skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and the 1 tbsp. of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add in the chicken. Stir and turn the chicken just until you get a light golden color on it.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan to a waiting plate or bowl. Set aside.
5. In the same skillet add in the pearl onions and saute them to a nice golden color over moderate heat. When the onions are somewhat caramelized remove them and place them on top of your chicken.
6. Again, in the same skillet add the diced onion and celery and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened. Add a touch more olive oil if necessary.
7. The next step is to add in the four tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Then add in the flour and keep stirring to incorporate. Cook for a couple of minutes until the raw flour taste is cooked out.
8. With room temperature or warmed chicken broth, add it to the pan slowly and keep stirring with a whisk or spoon until it is well incorporated.
9. To this add in the fresh rosemary and stir. Then add in the potatoes, carrots, peas and pearl onions. Give a good stir and add in the heavy cream and mix that in well. Add in the salt and pepper, stir and taste to see if you want more seasoning.

Lastly take this delicious filling and fill each pie tin almost to the top. Place the crust over the top and crimp around all sides. Make a few slits in the crust and brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with some coarse salt (Kosher or Sea Salt is fine).

Bake in a preheated 350 - 375 degree oven for about an hour until the top crust is a nice golden brown.

Time to eat!

These pot pies are simply delicious.

One pie is a huge portion - could be shared.

Make this and your family will be

begging for this often.

***Another tip: for a large family, you could make this in a deep dish casserole and top the casserole with the crust. If you are looking at feeding 4 to 6 just increase each ingredient by 1/3.
***You can make the filling a day in advance, but be sure to reheat it some before filling the pie tins.