Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

This one is for my favorite Mom #2.  She said that she would like to see me make a homemade Chicken Pot Pie.  Well, here is my first attempt and it turned out great!  My kids ate every bite on their plate.  Chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce rucked inside a buttery crust has to be good.  I read some various recipes and this is what I came up with to please my family.  Now that I've used my kids and hubby as guinea pigs for this dish, I can make it for my MIL next time she has dinner with us.

Ingredients:

2 pastry crusts (homemade or store bought)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 cup broccoli florets, partially steamed
1 cup diced baby carrots, partially steamed
1 can (15 oz) sweet peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
kosher salt
black pepper
egg (for egg wash)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper.  In a large deep skillet over medium high heat, add 1 T olive oil.  Add the chicken and cook completely, about 8 minutes.  Remove to a bowl and set aside.  Add 1 T olive oil to skillet and cook the onions until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the 2 T butter and melt.  Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.  Add the chicken stock and cook for 5 minutes until mixture thickens. 

Let me teach you a cool way to steam vegetables in the microwave instead of dirtying up your steamer.  Place your raw vegetables in a microwave safe bowl with 3 T water and cover with a dinner plate.  Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, or until tender.  I only cooked mine for 3 minutes so they were still slightly crisp.  The vegetables will cook more in the oven.

Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the sauce and stir well.  Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream and parsley.  Taste and season with kosher salt and pepper as needed. 

This makes quite a bit of filling, so you will either need a large and deep round casserole dish or deep pie dish.  I used an oven proof serving bowl.  Another option is to use oven proof bowls (like you use for french onion soup) and just top with the pastry crust.  This way, everybody could have their own little chicken pot pie.  I need to buy some of these!

Line your casserole or pie dish with a pastry crust.  Pour in the filling.  Place the other pastry crust on top, and seal and crimp the edges.  Make a slit in the middle of the crust to allow the steam to escape.  I used a big and small snowflake cookie cutter to make it look cute.  Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.  Let cool for 15 minutes before trying to cut.  Enjoy!