Oh, My Goodness...Deliciousness

Well, this morning in my gym class, our instructor person was talking about how good soup would be today. So, I got it in my head that I wanted soup for dinner. Of course, we didn't have anything I needed to make any type of soup...I was not about to attempt another trip to Publix with the monkies (we did that Tuesday). Anyhow, we had some chicken and frozen veggies, so I decided to make a Chicken Pot Pie, and boy, oh, boy, am I glad I did. It was so super yummy. I wanted to share the recipe with you all in case you are looking for some yummy warm confort food on these chilly nights!



I got basic recipe for the crust from Smitten Kitchen.

Chicken Pot Pie
Crust:
1 c water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
a little bit of pepper
2 sticks (or 8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces

Filling:
2 chicken quarters, boiled, chopped (you can also use a whole chicken or left over roast chicken)
3 c (ish) frozen veggies
1 c chicken broth
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
salt and pepper to taste

First, boil your chicken. I usually put a little salt in the water just because it makes for a more flavorful broth. While the chicken is boiling, you can prepare the pie crust.

Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Now, here is where I varied from Smitten Kitchen. I don't have a pastry blender, which looks like a really neat kitchen tool, but anyhow, I threw all the above ingredients and my butter into my kitchen aid with the dough hook attachment. Then, I let all them mix around a bit and added a little water. You want to keep slowly adding water until your dough starts to stick together, like...well, dough. You will probably have to take it out of the mixer and use your hands mix it for a bit. It will be a little stickey. Once that's done, wrap it up and put it in the fridge for a least and hour. I think if you follow Smitten Kitchen's directions, your dough will probably come out more flakey than mine did.

After your dough has chilled and you chicken has been boiled, de-boned, and chopped up, make a quick egg wash (an egg and a but of milk mixed up) and brush that on to your pie pan. Separate your dough into two equal pieces. Roll out one and lay it into your pie pan. In a separate bowl, mix all the filling ingredients and then pour them into the prepared crust. Now, roll out your other half and put it on top. Slice a couple holes in top. Brush egg wash across the top (makes it nice and brown and yummy). Then, sprinkle some pepper and salt (I like to use kosher salt just cause it is coarser, but you can use whatever) on top and pop it into the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until both top and bottom are a nice brown color.

Enjoy!

** Here is a substitute I found for the Cream of Chicken Soup. Tastes just as good and could save you a trip the grocery :)

1 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
1/2 c chicken broth (can use stock from boiling the chicken)
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour keep stirring until smoother and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thinkens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.