Chicken Pot Pie

The only chicken pot pie that I knew growing up was the frozen Banquet brand pot pie.  We never had it for dinner, but my mom would occasionally buy them for a quick lunch.  I remember kind of liking those back in the day.  Years later, I had a friend in Kentucky who mentioned making chicken pot pie.  I guess I’d never really thought about making it at home until then.  When I finally did start making it from scratch, it quickly became a favorite in my house.

My family LOVES chicken pot pie.  And trust me, there is absolutely NO comparison to the Banquet frozen ones!  It’s another one of those all in one meat, veggie, & starch dishes that screams comfort food.  It is easy to make and can be made ahead of time.  I haven’t done it, but since Banquet can freeze them, I imagine you could freeze them at home as well.  If I am having this for dinner, I usually make it early in the morning and then at dinner time, I just take it out of the fridge to bake.  Of course homemade crust always tastes best, but in a pinch you can certainly use a refrigerated pie crust.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 ½-2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves –cubed & cooked
• 2 cups sliced carrots, cooked
• 1 can diced potatoes
• 2 cups frozen green peas
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 3 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 can of cream of chicken
• 2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a saucepan, melt butter and add onion and celery.  Cook until softened. Add flour and stir. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk to make sauce and cook until thickened. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine cooked chicken, cooked carrots, peas, and potatoes. Add cream of chicken, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste.

Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over the crust.

Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.