Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of those recipes that are theoretically planned for "leftovers" but really you end up needing to plan what exactly the leftovers will be and how much will be left over in advance. With that warning out of the way, it's a really tasty recipe. Very hearty and great on cold winter nights....or any other time really!

What you need:

Pie Crust:

2 1/4 c. flour

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. vegetable shortening

5-8 tbsp chilled cream

Filling:

3 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic

~1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cream

2 carrots

peas

corn

~1 c. chicken leftovers

Putting it together:

The first step and the reason that this recipe takes so long to make is the pastry crust. Sure you could buy the frozen crusts but trust me, they are just not very good. To prep in advance, chop up the shortening and pop it in the freezer. Place the cream in the freezer for a few minutes as well. The colder all the ingredients are, the better the pie crust will be. It keeps the butter from

melting from the heat of your hands and the pockets of butter make a light and flaky crust! Which brings me to my aside; pie hands! The best days to make pie crusts are those days when your hands are just really cold.

Ok so carrying on... I get a little distracted when I talk about pasty. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add in the shortening and cut it in until it reaches the consistency of oats. Pastry cutters are available in most grocery stores now but if you don't have one, a fork will do (but take much longer) or a food processor although you have to be careful not to over process the flour and shortening. Then, a few tbsp at a time, add in the cream and mix with a fork until the dough just holds together. Make two balls of the dough and pat them into disks handling them as little as possible. Now pop the dough into the fridge for at least a half hour. Or make it the night before to speed up the whole process!

The tricky part is now over and you can relax! The filling is pretty easy. Melt the butter in a pan and add in the garlic until fragrant (30sec or so). Add the flour to the pan and allow to cook out for a few minutes. Stir in the milk and cream and it should turn into a nice sauce. Just throw in the veggies and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened to your liking. It doesn't take long at all!

Next up is assembly. Roll out one disk of dough and lay it in a pie pan, no buttering required! Pour in the filling. Roll out the second disk and lay it on top. Seal the edges however you want. Last step is to give the top of the pie an egg wash and poke some holes with a fork or knife so the steam can escape. Bake at 350F until golden brown (~30min).

Extra tips:

For handy clean up, bake the pie over a cookie sheet covered with foil. Sometimes the filling bubbles out if the crust isn't sealed completely.

Truthfully, this really can be a dish for leftovers. Vegetables you didn't finish can be thrown in. The best idea is to cook a full chicken earlier in the week and take the leftover meat from that for the pie. Other tasty add ins include onions and celery (best added with the butter in the beginning), pancetta (use the rendered fat for cooking the garlic), mushrooms....it's pretty open to interpretation.