Chicken Pot Pie

I've mentioned before that unless I'm following a recipe, I don't really ... follow a recipe.  Ok, that makes no sense.  Let me rephrase.  I want to share with you how I make chicken pot pie, but it's more ingredients and technique rather than a formal recipe.  So bear with me.  I've made chicken pot pie multiple times multiple ways, so I'm going to mention all of them together.  This is lengthy, and I forgot to take pictures, so try to stick with me...

The Chicken:

I prefer to bake chicken when time permits.  It's low-maintenance (no need to watch it or flip it like you would have to on the stove), and it keeps the meat moist.  It's also a good way to get multiple meals out of one prep, by baking several pieces at one time, having baked chicken one night, and already having cooked chicken the next night to make the pot pie.  This is also a good way to make the meal prep a bit shorter.

How to bake chicken: The pieces are up to you.  I find pot pie a good way to use cheaper cuts, like legs and thighs, since I shred the chicken later.  Yesterday, I made two hearty servings off of one chicken breast because that's what I had in the house.  Either way, I always bake chicken skin-on and bone-in.  A bit of salt and a bit of olive oil, and it's ready for the oven (350 or 375, depending on the temperature I need for other foods that night).  Depending on the cut and size of the chicken, and the temperature of the oven, you're looking at 30-50 minutes of cooking.  When it's cooked, and cool enough to handle, I chop/shred the chicken for later use.

Quick-prep: Like I mentioned, this is a great recipe to use up leftover baked chicken.  I'm also a big fan of the rotisserie chickens from grocery stores, especially if you're pressed for time.

The Veg:

If I was cooking for myself, my pot pie would be 75% veg, 25% chicken.  However, I have a veggie-hater in the house with me, so I pull back a bit on my urge to add every conceivable vegetable to the meal.  (Sidenote: if you also have a veg-hater, this meal is actually a good way to make them eat vegetables.  I cut them up small and they're all mixed in, so picking out the "green stuff" is nearly impossible.)  This is another reason I love pot pie -- it's a great way to use up produce.

Vegetables I've added at some point (usually all finely diced): onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, green peas.  I love also green beans, but the only time I've added them to pot pie is when I bought a bag of frozen veg to save time/money.  I don't know that they belong in pot pie.  Last night's recipe had all of the above vegetables except potatoes (because I didn't have any in the house).

So what do you do with them?  I dice everything up and sweat them (lower heat than sauteing) with some olive oil and a bit of butter.  This is when I season them, too, with salt, pepper, and other spices/herbs (last night I went with thyme and celery seed).  When they're tender, I add frozen peas (because they don't need as long as the other vegetables).

Quick-prep: A frozen bag of vegetables will never be better than the real thing, but it does work well in the recipe because everything is mixed together.  This could save you a bunch of time (and money, if produce is expensive).

The Sauce:
When I first started experimenting with pot pie, I have to admit I used Campbell's cream-of soups.  Honestly, I thought it was pretty tasty.  Jason and I both have aversions to cream-of-mushroom for different reasons, so I tended to use cream-of-chicken or (my preference) cream-of-celery.  Now, I start from scratch by making a rue.

Once your pan has yummy, tender veg, add some flour (again, sorry I don't have specific measurements) and stir this around for a couple of minutes to cook the flour and help it soak up the remaining oil/butter. Then, I start adding chicken stock.  This can either be homemade or store-bought.  I had some chicken bones last night, so I made homemade.  I also threw in some 1/2&1/2 because my stock seemed a bit thin.  Do this slowly.  Add some liquid, stir stir, add some liquid, until you get the right consistency.  This is when I add the chicken to the mix.

Quick-prep: Really, the cream-of soups tasted just fine.

The Pie:

This is the part I always get help with.  When everything's ready, you can put it all in another dish and top with either canned biscuits (cut in half horizontally gives you more bang for your buck) or refrigerated pie dough.  Or hey, if you know how to make pie dough, knock yourself out.  Usually by this point of the prep, I'm exhausted and love that I have something pre-made.  Then, you stick this back in the oven until your crust is golden brown and delicious.

Quick-prep: Last night, I made what I called "deconstructed pot pie" because the in-the-oven part always seems to take longer than expected.  I made the pie filling and then baked (canned) biscuits during the last fifteen minutes of prep.  We ate a bowl of "chicken pot" with the "pie" on the side.  I thought it was delicious, and Jason's wiped-clean bowl (another advantage of having a separate biscuit rather than pie crust) makes me think he felt the same.

Ok, so that's my adventures of chicken pot pie.  It is a lengthy prep (maybe about an hour total?), so this is usually on an evening where I've got a lot of free time, but it's mighty tasty, especially in the winter.  If you've made it this far, congrats!  I'll make sure my next post isn't quite as long.