Mama's Homecookin' - Chicken Pot Pie

I'm no super chef.  We eat what I was raised up on - good strong home cooking (and the occasional Tyson chicken nugget).

My favorite thing on earth is pot pie...chicken, turkey - it matters not.  My mom makes the best.  She makes homemade pie crust and her "sauce/stew mixture" is always perfect.  I try but I haven't gotten there quite yet.  I make a variation of mom's pot pie using biscuit crust instead of pie crust...mainly because my pie crust making skills aren't perfected quite yet.

The reason I'm blogging this is simple - every time I mention it on Facebook several people ask me how I make mine.  Trust me...it's no fine science.  But I'll walk you through it best I can.

We usually have pot pie when I've done a baked chicken the day before.  There's always leftovers and it gives me an excuse to make my favorite dish!

I take my chicken (already cooked, mind you) and shred it into a large stovetop pot (I use my 6 quart Paula Deen pot).  I wish I measured things better for you.  I'm guessing I used about 1 1/2-2 cups of chicken.  In a pinch, when I REALLY wanted pot pie, I've used canned Tyson chicken before, but it's not my favorite way to do it.  Really, you can use however much chicken makes you happy.  It's your pot pie.

Then in the chicken pot I throw in my veggies - I've used canned, fresh, frozen...a combo.  Usually I use a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and then in a small pot on the stove I cook up some diced potatoes until they are soft.  Tonight I used leftover fridge veggies from the last week (corn, green beans, peas) and fresh carrots/potatoes - the carrots got diced and cooked before going in the big pot too.  

Next, I take a box of chicken broth and cover it all.  I didn't use quite all of a 32 oz box in my "stew" tonight.  (But I saved the rest, b/c when you reheat chicken pot pie with biscuit crust adding more broth keeps it from drying out!).  Tonight's broth of choice was Aldi's new Simply Nature Organic Free Range Chicken Broth.  At $1.79 for a 32 oz box of organic it was a bargain.  (loving Aldi's new organic options!)  The broth should cover your veggies/meat so it stirs easily.  It will resemble veggie soup.  I turn that on to simmer while I make up my crust.

For the crust I DOUBLE the recipe below.  This, combined with the large batch of "stew" makes a 9x13 pan of pot pie and a smaller pan that I always make up to take to Mike's grandma.  Sometimes she freezes it unbaked and it always bakes up nicely after thawing.

Crust (this is our favorite biscuit recipe too!):

Combine:

3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

2/3 tsp cream of tartar

Add:

3/4 cup soft butter until crumbly

Add

1 cup milk (the heavier the better...we drink whole milk but anything would be okay)

Remember, you are doubling that to make enough crust for the top and bottom of the small and large pans.  {If you want to make biscuits, roll, cut out with round cutter and bake 10 min at 450}.

I do all that in my Kitchenaid stand mixer.

Take that dough right into your hands and work 1/2 of it into the bottom of your pans and up the sides.  It doesn't have to be beautiful. I mean, it can be - but mine rarely is.

Alright, take a break from the crust and go back over to your pot on the stove.  Grab a glass (I use a coffee cup 'cuz mama always did!) and fill it about 1/4 full with corn starch.  Add just enough cold water to make it able to be stirred - about 1/2 full.  Mix it smooth and then pour it in your simmering, yummy smelling pot of "stew".  That will thicken it just enough to set well in the pie.  Stir the stew well and let it simmer and thicken just a few minutes.  I also add a bit of salt at this time.  I.like.salt.  Turn off your burner, take that yummy goodness and start filling your pans!  I use a ladle to scoop from pot to pan.  Tonight God cooked with me and I had *just* enough stew to fill both pans.  Sometimes I have too much - I've never run out!  I like it as soup so I'm fine with just eating it rewarmed - if you have leftover you get to decide what to do with it yourself!

[Preheat your oven to 350 degrees - you're almost ready to bake!]

Once filled, starting laying on the top crust.  You can make this so much prettier than I do!  I basically take my dough in small balls and press them out on the counter to 1/4" or less thickness and lay them over the filling.  A good woman would make one big crust and lay the whole thing over.  I'm not that good of a woman.  Do it however makes you happy!

 

Pop it in the 350 degree oven for 20-35ish minutes (I'm so bad at keeping track..I just smell it and check on it.  It's done when the crust is golden brown).

I should have taken a pic before my family ate 1/3 of it.  It's hearty and yummy and a very easy way for me to get veggies down my kids.  

Alternately, you could also make the "stew" on the stove and make regular biscuits and have your pot pie over biscuits.  You know why I love pot pie?  You can't really mess it up.  Experiment...and enjoy!