Chicken Pot Pie

Tonight, it's chicken pot pie for dinner!  One of Grace's favorites, and it's been a while since I've made it.  I usually make the kids their own little pies in ramekins, but I ran out of time tonight, so it was one big pie.  I know there are lots of chicken pot pie recipes out there, and many with cream of chicken soup and celery, but you will find neither of those ingredients in this recipe!  The filling is made totally from scratch and since I'm not a celery lover, I just leave it out!


Chicken Pot Pie (adapted from Simply Recipes)


Ingredients
2-4 cooked chicken breasts, depending on the size, chopped into bite size pieces
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 c. 1% milk
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
3/4 c. green peas, frozen or fresh
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet (honestly, it should say large pot here, because a skillet is not big enough for all these ingredients...I use a large pot), melt butter on medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots and celery (ha!) and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute more.  Whisk in the chicken broth.  Whisk in the milk.  Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often (you will be surprised at how much the filling really thickens up while it is simmering).  Add the chicken meat, thyme, peas, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well.  Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Divide the warm filling among 6 10-ounce ramekins and top with pastry dough.  Cut a vent into each individual pie.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.  Serves 6.

If you wish to see the original recipe, you can find it here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_pot_pie/.  I have cut the butter in half in my recipe, and I've never made it with the sherry, simply because I never have any on hand (must buy good cooking sherry).  I also decrease the salt because, depending on what chicken stock you use, it can get too salty.  I always use less, then add in more at the end if I need to.  Actually, this recipe is pretty complicated if you do it all - something I've never done.  I'm sure it would really be fantastic then! Enjoy!


Until next time,
Muncho Mom