Chicken pot pie is one of those dishes great for cleaning out the fridge and/or freezer. There are no set veggies for this pie, I pretty much wing it each time I make it throwing in veggie odds and ends leftover from the weeks meals. This can be one of your best money saving dinners, plus it is super yummy on a cold night.
Chicken Pot Pie
Two store bought pie crusts, or you can use a recipe for a double crust pie like the one I gave you for Spinach Pie in a previous post. Either works fine and if you’re in a hurry use store bought. No one will know the difference.
One recipe Basic White Sauce (See Below. Or use canned cream of chicken soup if you’re in a hurry)
3 Cups lightly steamed veggies. (Or equal amount canned mixed veggies)
2 Cups Shredded chicken. (I usually use what I have left over from a whole chicken I’ve roasted, you could also boil a couple of chicken breasts to shred for the pie)
Basic White Sauce
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Milk or Chicken Stock. (I like to use stock when making a meat pie)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted add in the flour and salt and whisk briskly until hot and bubbly.
Add in the milk or stock and stir frequently. Cook over low heat until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, about 10 minutes. I like mine a bit on the thick side so I let it go a little longer.
For the Filling:
For my most recent pie I used the following chopped veggies rounded up from the fridge and freezer: corn, leek tops, carrots, onions, potatoes, and peas. I put them on the stove top in a steamer insert for about 12 minutes. You could also steam them in the microwave. You want the veggies (especially potatoes and carrots) to be lightly steamed before adding to your pie. If you choose to use canned veggies there is no need to steam them first.
For the meat I used the leftover chicken from a roasted chicken we had for dinner the night before.
Mix the veggies and chicken with the white sauce (or cream soup) you made first. Stir so that all the meat and veggies are coated well.
Place one pie crust into a deep pie dish that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Pour filling into pie dish and spread out evenly.
Roll the top crust over the filling.
At this point you can trim the edges a bit if you want to. We like a thick crust so I usually just keep them as they are and fold the bottom crust up over the top crust and pinch together.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure the edges are sealed well. Cut a few slits in the top of the crust to vent the steam. Pop in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Watch the crust to make sure it doesn’t get too done. You can always cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil if it is starting to get to brown.
Allow the pie to set about 10 minutes before you cut into it.
