For those of your who know me I am a "foodie" I love good food, I love strange food, I will try anything once. My love for food is NOT understood by the love of my life... He eats to survive not for the experience. so... I cook several things in stages... and in degrees of complication.
Chicken Pot Pie is one of his favorite things. Something I like / will eat if done from scratch.
Here is my pot pie story...
1. Chicken... I only use about one cup of cut up meat
2. veggies... any of your choice I use about one cup of cut up veggies
3. base... you can use a can of cream of mushroom soup or make your own base however difficult you want to get.... I do both depending on time, money, and flavor...
4. Crust... you can use what ever you like... Dad like Puff Pastery, Jerry like regular old crust (boxed/or frozen pilbury or miss smith) or I like gluten free for me...
I am cheap! I only purchase whole chickens, or thighs because they regularly go on sale. DARK meat as much as people say they don't like it ... is the BEST to use in a receipt because it have more "chicken" flavor.
1. Boil what ever chicken you purchased...
Why do I purchase only whole? Because I use it for everything I make for the next month! Sound crazy? Well get this... One Whole chicken cost less than 10 dollars. For $10.00 I get enough meat for this pot pie, a mexican chicken enchallada casserolle, chicken parmazan pasta. I get three bags of chicken broth to freeze for rice, pasta, or soups. Tell me how far your perfect boneless, skinless chicken cost, and how many meals do you get out of it?
2. Veggies...
I grow carrots every season I can, so if the ground is not frozen I go dig up a few for this... as of late it has been frozen...
I keep CHEAP frozen veggies in the freezer... a cheap store brand, I pull them out once a day for the birds to have a hot meal... instead I use a cup of them for this when I need to. You can also get canned veggies if you like but ... a. they have salt, ... b. they are mushy already! so I like to stay away from them and I have other uses for my large cheap frozen bag.
Other wise I have only the cheap stuff when in season from the veg. section of the grocery. Corn on the cob (I put ENTIRE cobs silks and all in the freezer, you can only do this IF YOU GROW IT), carrots (from the garden), celery, onions (usually from the garden), one piece of garlic head ( from the garden IF I have any left over... I use garlic a lot!) if they are all fresh, what ever you have, what ever you like or don't like is perfect.. BUT as my sister and brother in law do NOT like celery, onions or anything else green these FRESH things put sugar into the mix that needs to be replaced. so ... take a hint of sugar, a pinch too samll to measure and put it into your veggies you do like...
If Frozen veggies, barely cook them per directions... just a little under so not to over cook them for the pie, which will warm through more as we go along....
If Fresh veggies, just barely cook them till warm through so to release their natural sugars... so slighly limp, have beautiful bright colors or onions go almost see through....
IF you do not use FRESH HERBS as I did above in step ONE... this is where you would add your store baught poultry seasoning mix... no more than a teaspoon at best! mix it in your cooked veggies before the base is added...
3. BASE...
Easy is just use a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of cream of chicken soup or even a can of cream of potato soup which ever you like.
Hard, make a base from rue with butter and cream. it is really easy to do once you get the hang of it! easy. cheaper than a can of soup, and used for so much it is not funny!
4. CRUST...
Easy is just get a roll of crust (pillsbury) from the buscut section of the store. Put one in the bottom of your pan and cook per directions...
Fancy... is a box of puff pastery doe... also place one sheet in bottom of pan and cook per instructions...
Home made ... make your favorite doe and cook bottom crust
Gluten Free... the trick to your basic doe is to use LARD not butter but Crisco etc... this is the only way I get it flaky... also cook bottom as normal.
Make sure what ever crust you use.. poke holes in the bottom so it will not bubble up on you.
While your crust is cooking ... mix cooked meat, cooked veggies and base into a sauce pan and heat all three together till warm. IF it is too thick... thin out with Heavy Cream/ or milk of your choice just remember the less fat the more runny it will be in the end... becareful not to add too much at a time/ I add only a table spoon or so at a time.
When bottom crust is done... pour your mixture into the crust... level it off... and put the other crust on top / bake per directions on the back. Poke holes in the top as your mixture should be pastey... bubbly and will omit air.
Good luck and have fun with it!
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