chicken pot pie~chicken pot pie~chicken pot pie

chickenpotpie~chickenpotpie~chickenpotpiiiiiieeee...goes the chant the boys do when I make

chicken pot pie!

Exciting stuff, chicken pot pie is...I only make it when the weather gets fallish and then cold.  Just doesn't seem like summertime food.  I'm sure some hard core chicken pot pie devotee's might disagree.  There's a goodness in this dish that comforts like few others.  It works wonders for that new mom who's just brought home a precious little one, the family who just moved in to their new house.  Even in times of sickness and sadness, this dish is love and comfort. 

I tell ya' I've been in love with chicken pot pie since I had my first frozen one when I was a kid.  Those delicious little pies in their cute miniature foil pans, golden crusts, and goodness bubblin' out. 

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU LOVE CHICKEN POT PIE!!!

I raised both of mine. 

I remember looooong time ago, when I was a tween (I was a tween before tweens were tweens), I remember asking my Mom and Dad to make a chicken pot pie for supper.  Apparently Dad wasn't up to the task and at my insistence he said, "You get a cook book out, find a recipe, and have at it."  I don't know if he thought I'd back down once I realized the sizable time consuming task ahead of me or what.  I did not.  I wanted to. But. I did not back down.  The selected recipe wasn't from a "30 minute meal" type book.  No, this recipe was as detailed as some of Ms. Child's.  I proceeded to follow each step, making my first ever, 100% from scratch, chicken pot pie.  The next day it was delicious. Kidding, it was only a few hours later. It was also about 2 decades later until I would make the next one.  

This is my recipe. 100% mine.  I didn't adjust, alter, or modify anybody else's.  It's mine, and I'm sharing it with you.  Because it's Fall, and I'm in a Fall good mood.  And everyone should have the goodness of chicken pot pie without slaving away for 8 hours straight.  Hope you give it a try and like it too!  It is pot pie perfection...promise!

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking time: stove top about 10 minutes, oven 15-20 minutes

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

onions-2 small or 1 med/lg *get sweet onions, trust me

all purpose flour

1 can evaporated milk, about a cups worth

minced garlic

salt & pepper...s-s-s-salt n pepah's here

rosemary, thyme, nutmeg

chicken stock/broth

chicken meat about 4 cups~or 2 roasted birds

1 cup white wine *optional

frozen mixed vegetables

frozen biscuits 

cuttin onions, fun stuff...easier like this though...

first cut in half, then turn on its end and cut cross sections ALMOST all the way through

then lay it down flat and cut horizontally all the way through, but not through the far end

make sense?

now cut vertically and it makes a perfect dice

see!

This is why I say get sweet onions, sweet vidalias to be exact...

sweet onions won't leave you cryin' like your old boyfriend just did you wrong.

The sting was so bad, it hurt to keep my eyes open, hence the wince and squints.

I had to get outta there and get some fresh air and regain my composure.

Long about now was when Ms Julee drove up to drop something off for my mama...

lookin' good, ain't I.

Ok, so butter makes it better!  That's 2 tbsps melting away in my Mama's magnalite.

Let it juuuuust start to brown then put those dang bad boyfriend 

onions in and watch 'em fry like you wish he had.

Onions and butter...

a lil' more butter...

and it's all good.

Let the onions cook a few minutes until they are translucent.

Now let's get 1/4 cup of flour and put in a little at a time. 

That's good, now stir it in.

In goes the rest of the flour, and stir it in good. 

Let this cook a few minutes stirring it in completely.

Now its time for some goodness, pour in about half of that can of evaporated milk.

And we're stirring, and we're stirring...

In goes the rest of the milk. (You can substitute half n half, milk, or cream. yum)

And we're stirring, and stirring...get it all mixed in nicely.

That's a table knife with about a tbsp of garlic, I add this much garlic and then that much more.

Feel free to add garlic to your taste, but don't leave it out.  Trust me.  

This pot pie wants its garlic.

Rosemary & Thyme about 1 - 2 tsps 

(sorry I'm bad about using the palm of my hand to measure)

That's nutmeg, fresh grated, heaven sent goodness, 

a lil bit goes a long way, about 15 scratches is good.

Don't drop it like I do...every time.

Frozen veggies, this is about half of a bag.

How big was the bag? Hmmm, it was a normal size bag...not Sam's size

Now, this is normally what I have on hand so I use them.  However,

I love to dress up this pot pie by using fresh hand cut veggies too: 

carrots, potatoes, peas, corn-white and yellow, green and butter beans, AND

those pretty little pearl onions (instead of chopped onions if you like or use a lil of both like I like),

AND button mushrooms quartered

 (saute them with the butter and onions at the first part of this recipe).

And we're stirring, and we're stirring...

That's 3/4 cups of white wine, this is optional, but man is it good.

The wine adds a nice flavor, not strong, just a delicious layer of flavor.

stirring, and we're stirring...

a couple minutes and this mixture is ready for still more liquid...

Add 1/2 of chicken stock or broth at a time, stirring between additions.

I added a total of 2 cups of stock.

Yep. Stirring it all in...be sure and scrape the sides and bottom good.

Chicken stock made from frozen chicken breasts.

Remove the meat from the stock and shred it up as fine or chunky as you like.

Now, you know the roasted chicken from the grocery?

Those are perfect for this dish.  I get 2, pick the meat off,

then boil the bones with bay leaves, S & P, thyme, rosemary, and garlic powder.

This makes a great stock for the pot pie and you'll have plenty extra to freeze for later.

Shredded and ready for the pot! 

We are getting closer to pot pie perfection every second!

Now's a good time for a taste test and adjust your seasonings if needed.

Hey! Guess what?

We're stirring, and we're stirring...

Now, put a lid on it, and turn your fire down low.

While that's simmering right along get out your biscuit pan.

This one is older than me and a family heirloom.

Treasured toy and musical instrument (aka instrument of parental eardrum torture), 

but today its a biscuit pan, as intended.

Ok, so I like to put some foil down on the pan and spray it with cooking spray, 

you do what you gotta do to keep your biscuits from sticking.

Here they are, the perfectly delicious frozen shortcut that they are.

I'll say this, homemade biscuits are easy and so good.

But, these are easier, and because they are easier on a week night/school night...

they are deliciouser to me.

Feeling adventurish? Daring? Wild at heart?

Use a flaky pie dough, from scratch or store bought, 

whatever, it is delicious, and I like to do this when I make the

fancy fresh veggie version of this recipe.

Put the biscuits in the oven and cook them for half the suggested cooking time.

This will get the biscuits done on the bottom so you don't have soggy

raw biscuits all over your pot pie.

Who wants that?

Half the cooking time, that's all for now.

Time for cold drink.

Give your pot pie mixture one last stir.

Halleluyer.

Now your half baked biscuits are ready to go on the chicken pot pie mixture.

Since I'm using magnalite, an oven safe cookware, this is a one-dish meal for me!

Now's when you need to get out your deep dish caserole and transfer

your pot pie mixture to it if need be.  Bless your heart.

Got an extra left over!  He'll finish cooking after I pull the pot pie out.

Here's a tip:

If you can, arrange your biscuits on top of the pot pie mixture

in the same way they were on the pan...they kinda stick to their neighbor. 

Half baked biscuits can be clingy and tend to have separation anxiety.

This step helps you have happy biscuits. 

So, now then, let's get it in the oven at 350 and cook for another 10-15 min.

You may need to cover with foil to keep your biscuits from over browning.

Look for it to be bubbly and the biscuits golden brown and call it done.

Hello Dahlin!

Pot Pie Perfection...as promised!