Sunday, January 23, 2011

Chicken Potpie

Everyone loves a good comfort food every now and then, especially when it's bitter cold outside. This recipe actually makes 2 chicken potpies, which I thought was weird at first, but then realized it was awesome because then I could stick one in the freezer for a night when I didn't want to cook! Perfect!

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Chicken Potpie

Ingredients
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
4 cups cubed uncooked chicken
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 9 inch double pie crusts (recipe I use follows)

Directions
1.Place potatoes, carrots and chicken in a large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender and chicken is cooked through. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute 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 the heat.
2.Line two 9-in. 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 flute edges.
3.Bake one potpie at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months. **


Never Fail Pie Crust
(Makes 2 double crusts, so if you're just making 1 pie, cut in half)

Ingredients
3 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C shortening
5 Tbsp cold water
3 tsp vinegar
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Directions
In a mixing bowl, blend flour, salt, and shortening; use a pastry blender or two knives to cut shortening into the flour and salt. Combine water, vinegar, and the egg; blend it well into the flour mixture. Shape the dough into four balls. The ball of dough can either be used immediately, or wrapped and frozen for later use. To use, flatten the ball and use a flour-dusted rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 2 inches larger than the rim of the pie plate. Put the dough in the plate, prick the bottom with a fork, and moisten the rim slightly. (To use with no bake pies, bake crust at 475 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.)

**To use frozen pot pie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. .