Chicken Pot Pie
Yield: 2 pot pies (6 to 8 servings each)
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (ham, shredded beef or turkey)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1½ cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
pastry for two double-crust 9-inch pies (you can buy the ready made crust or make your own, I make my own, I'll put the recipe at the bottom.
Boil potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot. In another pot, boil cubed chicken for 8 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain vegetables and chicken and set aside.
In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes, and carrots. Remove from heat.
Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and style the edges. Bake one pot pie at 425ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
To serve frozen pie: Cover edges of frozen piecrust with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 70 to 80 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.
For the veggies, you can use a bag of mixed frozen veggies and have whatever kind your family prefers. Alos, if you simmer the chicken in some chicken broth, it gives it a yummy flavor!
Buttery Pie crust
Yield: four 9-inch pie crusts
5 1/3 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening
1 1/3 cups (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons) butter, cubed
1 cup ice water
Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and cubed butter cut it in until it's flaky. Add the ice-cold water a few tablespoons at a time. Mix until it begins to clump together. Stop and feel the dough; it should be just moist enough that it can clump together. If necessary, add more water by teaspoonfuls. The dough should not form a ball; it should remain flaky.
With floured hands, divide it into 4 wedges. Shape each wedge into a disk shape, wrap each plastic and place all four disks in a large zip-top freezer bag, label it “Pie crust, 400ºF, 35-40 minutes,” and freeze.
To Serve
Remove one (or two, if making a double crust) pie-dough disk from the freezer and warm in the microwave until pliable. (20-30 seconds). Roll dough out using a sheet of plastic wrap on top and bottom to keep it from sticking to the counter or roller. Peel off one layer of the plastic wrap and place the dough in a 9-inch pie pan. Then peal off the top layer of plastic wrap. If you are adding a top crust, place the filling in and add the crust on top. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top and pinch the dough around the edges using your thumb and two fingers (from the other hand) to give it a finished look. Bake on the bottom wrack at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes.
If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, preheat the oven to 400ºF and prick the dough all over with a fork. Line the crust with foil and place a cup of dry rice or beans (or use pie weights) in the foil to weigh it down. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove crust from the oven, cool for a few minutes, and carefully remove the foil and rice, beans, or weights. Reduce the heat to 350ºF and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling.
