Family Chow Hall

Chicken Pot Pie

March 2nd, 2006

Chicken Pot Pie must be one of the greatest comfort foods of all time. Hot, steamy, and filling — it just has a way of warming you up and calming your soul. Old-fashioned and ever-pleasing, these are the foods that warm our hearts.

When setting out to make Chicken Pot Pie, be sure you have these main ingredients: Chicken breast, assorted vegetables, chicken broth, cheddar cheese.

Tips: You can make two and freeze one. Also, next time you grill chicken breasts, do a few extra. Chop them up and freeze for this dish.

Warning: Chicken Pot Pie definitely does not fall into the low-fat, low-calorie, or low-carb diet category. Although the chicken and the vegetables are good for you, that’s about the extent of it. However, you don’t have to eat a mountain of it and you can serve a salad or other vegetable on the side.

Chicken Pot Pie
serves 6 / prep. time: 30 minutes / cook time: 45 minutes

Crust:
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
5 T. cold butter
3 T. cold water

Prepare this dough as you would any normal pie crust. Form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
4 c. of assorted vegetables
— try potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, peas
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 - 4 c. cooked, chopped chicken, preferably breast
salt and pepper

Start by chopping the vegetables and placing in a large pot with the chicken broth. Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat down so it simmers for 15 - 20 minutes, until the veggies are soft. Use a whisk to combine the milk and flour in a small bowl. Pour this into the vegetables and stir until thick. (You could make this a bit simpler by using a can of cream of chicken soup here without compromising the flavor too much.) Remove from heat and add the cheese - stir until melted. Finally, add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

This pot pie has a top crust only, which makes it a whole lot easier to put together. Pour this creamy mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole. The last thing you will do is to roll the crust out so it is bigger than the casserole dish and place on top of the filling. Tuck the edges of the crust down into the sides of your dish. Poke a few slits in the crust to let the steam escape.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Be careful - the filling will be very hot and will stay hot!

Entry Filed under: Casseroles, Recipes, Supper, chicken