Chicken Pot Pie Recipe - Boonie's Mile High Big Chicken Pot Pie

I remember making pot pies when I was still in elementary school. That was long before I really 'got' what some dishes were - and more than a few were disastrous, to say the least. My grandmother took me in hand though, and the results improved exponentially.

If you haven't read it, check out Bechamel, Your Friend and Mine, because a bechamel sauce is at the heart of a good pot pie. If you understand what this easy little trick can do - you're home free. You can do anything in a crust and be Bombshell.

This particular version came about after Thanksgiving. Of course I used turkey. Now I have a kindergartner who decided for some reason that he hated turkey. My twelve year old got a kick out of this, and started calling it Big Chicken. The little one decided he loves Big Chicken, but if we called it turkey, he wouldn't go near it. Go figure that one. I really don't care what you call it! I also use a deep casserole dish, so the pie can be really high on the plate if the bechamel is thick enough. The other cool thing about bechamel is you can add all kinds of veggies in a casserole with it, like this, and the kids eat them anyway.

So you can use Big Chicken or Little Chicken either one, and both are great. I do both. But this is Boonie's Mile High Big Chicken Pot Pie - his favorite food. If you need to jump start, look at Roast Chicken, How to Make an All Butter Pie Crust, and Bacon Pot Pie. The same simple, basic techniques in those recipes are used here. So here we go!

This looks like it has a thousand ingredients - but it's not much more than dumping them in order into the skillet - so don't be afraid. Don't fear the Big Chicken.

You'll Need:

• 1 All Butter Pie Crust (you can use the simple one, or the cheddar one - or add your own flavors!). You can also use store bought if you wish, I just like homemade and find it's easier than a trip to the store.
  
• 1 Roast Chicken, picked - you can use leftovers, or you can shortcut the same way you do for Southern Chicken and Dumplings, which is what I usually do. You can also use turkey. You'll need at least two cups of cubed chicken or turkey - but three is better.
• For the rest of the filling, you'll need:
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium potato, diced (use two if you have less chicken)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tbl butter
• 1 large sprig fresh thyme
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk (don't go lower in fat than whole milk)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1Tbl frozen petite green peas
• 2 Tbl cream
  

1. Over medium heat in a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add onion, celery, carrot and potato. Saute for about ten minutes, or until vegetables are starting to get tender and are very fragrant.
2. Add the butter, and stir well to melt and incorporate. Sprinkle flour over the contents of the skillet. Add the thyme.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Add the wine or chicken broth, stirring well. Add the remainder of the chicken broth, continuing to stir. Add the onion and garlic powders. Reduce the heat to very low, and add the cream. Stir in the chicken and peas. Remove from heat. Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper. If your mixture is too thick, stir in a little more chicken broth or cream.
5. Place chicken mixture in a 8x13 casserole dish. Top with pastry crust. Poke a few vent holes in the top, and brush the top of the pie with cream.
6. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until interior of pie is bubbly, and the crust is golden. Allow the pot pie to 'rest' for about ten minutes before serving.