Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I don't make chicken pot pies very often. There just seems to be so much crust and sauce involved, and we usually try to keep our meals fairly healthy and balanced so I try not to go there too often. I like almost all things in moderation though, so don't get me wrong... I like a good chicken pot pie complete with flaky crust and creamy filling. There is no judgment of a good pot pie here!

So every once in a while when a nice hot chicken pot pie sounds like a great idea for dinner and I always seem to be scrambling around to find a recipe I want to use. This time I decided to make my own and write it down so next time I'll have it.

I don't really like using the canned cream soups. I prefer to make it from scratch. It's really simple with just some butter, flour, chicken broth and/or milk and salt, pepper, etc.

From there I just added in canned veggies for ease, chicken and a few other things. This recipe turned out very well except I think the onions were a little strong for my taste. Next time I might decrease the amount or just leave them out altogether.

I started with this super easy perfect pie crust from Pioneer Woman. I just love Pioneer Woman. I started reading her blog way back in the beginning when there were only two sections, Confessions and Pioneer Woman Cooks. Before she had even finished the Black Heels to Tractor Wheels series of posts. I can't believe how long ago that was now...but I digress!

I've been using this pie crust for years but since I don't use it very often, I always seem to forget just how simple it is to make.

I had boiled the chicken the night before while making dinner so I would have a head start. I just took about a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut them up and brought them to a boil then let them cook over low heat until done. When I took them out the next night to make the chicken pot pie I pulled any larger pieces apart to make sure I had good bite sized pieces throughout.

I also made the pie crust the night before and stored it in the freezer, pulling it out a little while before dinner to thaw. I pulled it out maybe 30 minutes before since the instructions say thaw for 20 minutes, but I wish I'd done it a little sooner so it would have been easier to work with.

In a medium sized sauce pan I melted about 2 Tbsp of butter. Then stirred in about 3 Tbsp of AP flour and let it cook for several minutes to start making my roux.

Then I slowly added in about 1.5 cups of chicken broth, stirring until smooth. I let this cook until thick and bubbly. I think I also added about 1/2 a cup of milk, but I didn't write that down so I wouldn't swear to it. Oops.

I added about 1/4 of a medium sized onion, diced. Some garlic powder, because I still have no fresh garlic on hand, and stirred that around letting it cook for several minutes.

Then I added 2 cans of mixed vegetables and the previously cooked, cubed chicken, about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. I let this all heat up and get bubbly while I worked on the pie crusts.

In a standard glass pie pan I took one of the crusts that I had thawed and rolled out and lined the bottom, tucking in any edges.

The I filled the crust with the chicken filling and topped with a second pie crust.

I used one recipe to make both crusts. PW notes that you can get three thinner crusts or two generous. I've always gone with two, but I think next time I might take a walk on the wild side and divide it into thirds. Making a batch of several pie crusts to go in the freezer is on my to do list. I hope you enjoy this simple dinner. At least now I'll know where to go for a recipe when I'm ready to bake one of these.

Ingredients
1 perfect pie crust divided into two halves (or thirds and save a third for later use)
About 2 cups or 1 lb cooked, cubed chicken
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
~1.5 cups chicken broth
~1/2 cup milk
1/4 medium onion diced (or less if you want less onion flavor)
2 cans of mixed vegetables drained (you could also use the equivalent amount of frozen or fresh)
Garlic to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions
Roll out pie crust into a top and bottom crust following instructions in recipe.
In a medium sized sauce pan melt butter.
Stir in flour and let it cook for several minutes until smooth and lightly browned, stirring constantly.
Slowly add chicken broth (and milk if using), stirring until thick, bubbly, and smooth.
Add onion, garlic and any other seasonings, stir and cook for several minutes.
Add vegetables and chicken along with salt and pepper.
Let mixture simmer while you line pie pan with crusts.
Line bottom of pie pan with one crust, tucking in edges as needed.
Pour chicken mixture into pie crust and top with second pie crust, again tucking in edges as needed.
Bake on about 375 until crust is golden brown. (I placed a baking sheet under mine to catch any drips but it actually didn't spill over this time!)
Serve and enjoy!