Chicken Pot Pie

One of the things I like best about this recipe, other than the yummy taste, is it gives me a grand way to repurpose leftover chicken. DH is pretty good about leftovers but chicken is not one of his favorites in say, roasted form. Just doesn’t do it for him. So like so many of us, I try to disguise the leftovers in various and sundry ways, like chicken salad for instance. But what if you want something hot and delicious?

There ain’t much I like better than this pot pie which actually was a favorite growing up but was purchased frozen, not made fresh. You can buy the pie crusts for this if you wish but I generally make a few pie crusts at a time and freeze them portioned in disks so I can whip them out of the freezer when needed for a fruit pie or a savory one. If you want to make your own, follow this recipe on the blog for instructions which are clear and simple. Mushroom Onion 7 Brachot Quiche / The Ultimate Guide to Pie Crust. The difference is that you do not prebake the pie crust, another win for ease of prep.

Clearly if you use prepared pie crust you can skip this step. Place pie crust in pie pan, cover and leave in fridge while you prepare the chicken etc. You will have a crust to cover the top as well (double 9 inch pie crusts). Keep in fridge till ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.

K. So you have a choice to use leftover chicken which you remove skin from and debone and cut into strips or chunks. OR you can cook some chicken specifically, as you please.

Note we also have frozen peas, canned coconut cream and salt.

Now take your onion, carrots and celery and chop fine. You will saute the onion in the oil in a deep frying pan with high sides and add the celery when the onion turns yellow. Then toss in the chopped mushrooms and carrots.

Saute briefly, remember they will cook in the coconut cream sauce and in the oven.

Mix the sauteed veggies together with the cubed chicken and add the frozen peas. You don’t defrost them, just rinse with water and drain and add.

In the same frying pan, melt the marg (or use oil but the marg adds flavor) and add the flour, cooking together briefly and then add the coconut cream, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley and cook till slightly thickened and bubbling a bit.

Add the chicken/vegetable mixture and stir till completely coated.

Cook together for about five minutes or so, just till the mixture seems cohesive and a bit thick. Let cool a bit and remove your pie crust from the fridge. Pour (or spoon, it’s a thick mixture) the chicken/veg mixture into the pie crust in the pan and cover the mixture with the second crust (which you cut vents into to allow steam to escape from it) like so:

Then beat the egg and brush over top of top crust which you’ve crimped all around the pie pan.

Pop into the hot oven and bake till crust browns beautifully about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot. This can be kept in fridge when cooled and cover with tin foil, for 2-3 days, assuming you have any left.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 ½ pounds (about 680 grams) skinless, boneless chicken, breast meat or thigh meat, cooked and cut into strips or cubes (not too thin or it can dry out – leftover cooked chicken is perfect)

1 cup frozen peas

3 tablespoons oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped fine

2 stalks celery, cut into small slices

20 mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons oil or margarine

⅓ cup (41 grams) flour

1 can- 13.5 ounces (400 ml) coconut cream

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried parsley

½ – 1 teaspoon salt

pinch of ground black pepper

double crust for 9 ” pie pan, purchased or homemade Mushroom Onion 7 Brachot Quiche / The Ultimate Guide to Pie Crust

1 egg

Directions:

Place the chunked cooked chicken in a bowl and rinse the frozen peas off (drain them) and add. Set aside. Place pie crust, homemade or store bought in pie pan and place in fridge. Place top crust in fridge as well.

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.

Using a deep frying pan with high sides, saute the onion in the oil till deep yellow, add celery, carrots and cook a few minutes then add mushrooms and cook just a minute or two. Add sauteed vegetables to the chicken and peas mixture and combine. In the same frying pan, add the (additional) oil or margarine and melt together with the flour, stirring till combined and starting to thicken and add coconut cream and spices stirring together till it starts to thicken and bubbles a bit. Immediately add the chicken/vegetable mixture and cook just till it starts to thicken and form a mass. Remove pie crust from fridge (in the pan) and pour or spoon thickened mixture into unbaked crust, topping with the second unbaked crust. Cut vents into top crust to allow steam to escape. Beat egg and brush top crust with egg. Place in hot oven and bake 30-35 minutes or till pot pie is nicely browned. Serve hot. Can be kept after cooling, in fridge for 2-3 days, covered with tin foil.