Pot Pie

Let me start out by saying that my favorite part of cooking is leftovers.  On Tuesday night I cooked a whole chicken.  We ate meat and potatoes for supper that night, lunch the next day, and then on Wednesday night I made the rest of the chicken into a pot pie.  Not only was this my first time making a pot pie, but it was also my very first time making pie crust from scratch.  For some reason I had been completely intimidated at the thought of rolling out pie crust; I imagined it all sticking to the kitchen counter and the rolling pin and making a mess.  To my surprise, the crust was very easy to make, with very few ingredients, and the taste was exceptionally better than anything store-bought.  I recommend that everyone give it a try, and just don't be afraid to use LOTS of flour when you roll it out on the counter and on your rolling pin (I use a rolling pin cover too).  If it sticks, ball it up, clean up your counter, and try it again - I think it would be hard to ruin it.

Chicken Pot Pie  11.16.11

Aren't those little star cut-outs adorable?  They are from a Pampered Chef cookie cutter set that my sister, Laura, gave me for Christmas last year.  I was pretty excited for Derek to take his leftovers to work the next day so that our co-workers could see how cute his lunch was.

And I really don't get that creative with my recipes - these two are straight out of the The Big Red Cookbook by Betty Crocker.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN POT PIE FILLING

1 package (10 ounces) frozen vegetables of your choice

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

Approx. 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken

INGREDIENTS FOR TWO-CRUST PIE PASTRY

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons of cold water

1. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl.  Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, or by crisscrossing two knives, until particles are the size of peas.  Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 more teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

2. Divide pastry in half and gather into two balls.  Shape into flattened rounds on floured surface.  At this point, if desired, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up the shortening.  This will make the baked pastry more flaky.  If you refrigerate it for longer, let it soften a bit at room temperature before rolling.

3. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

4.  Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in flour, onion, salt, and pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat.  Stir in broth and milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir one minute to thicken.  Stir in chicken and vegetables; remove from heat.

5.  Roll each pastry out on a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, into a circle that is 2 inches larges than an upside-down pie plate.  Lift one pastry to transfer and ease it into the plate.  Press it firmly against the sides and bottom of the plate, but be careful not to stretch it.

6. Pour filling into the pastry-lined plate.

7.  If desired, cut out designs on the remaining pastry and place it over the pie filling.  Arrange the cutouts on the pastry.  Turn the edges of the pastry under and pinch together.

8.  Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.  (You should not need to cover the edge of the pie crust.)