Chicken Pot Pie

I hate chicken pot pie.


Okay I'm glad I got that off my chest. I think it could be because I've never really had a good one. I'm allergic to 99.9% of the frozen ones so that may be part of the problem, too. However, I LOVE this chicken pot pie. There's plenty of crust, which in my opinion, is the best part. There's also lots of veggies and you can always add more!

Since I am not a fan of chicken pot pie I don't have my own recipe, but Laurie over at Simply Scratch has a great one and I was inspired by hers to make my own!

Also you will notice that I do not have peas in my recipe. Besides the fact that I am allergic to legumes which also means peas, my dad has some strange aversion to peas in his chicken pot pie. He says it stems from when he was a child and a pea would roll out of his pie and for some reason it gave him the willies. So no peas for this family! If you, however, do not have an allergy or some weird objection to peas in your chicken pot pie then feel free to add them! I would probably add them where I put the frozen corn.



Without further ado I give you.........



Chicken Pot Pie

I went ahead and cooked up some chicken. You can boil, broil, fry, or get a rotisserie chicken from the deli! It's also good for Thanksgiving leftovers!

I also had some potatoes on hand so I peeled, cut in half, and nuked them in the microwave for about five minutes. I'm lazy like that. They also come out softer, but that's just my opinion.

Chop up some celery, onions, and carrots

Once the potatoes are done nuking in the microwave go ahead and chop those bad boys up! I feel obligated to warn you to be careful since they're hot and all...guess it's the nursing student in me.

My chicken was still hot so I used my handy dandy Kitchen Aid stand mixer to shred it. I don't know if you have a stand mixer, but I'm in love with mine! I never really knew about letting it shred my chicken, but it worked like a charm!!

Pour the chicken broth in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave safe so it can be heated up in the microwave...I told you, I'm lazy and the microwave worked just great!

Once the potatoes are chopped put them in the bottom of the ramekins.

Go ahead and melt three tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven or a really large saucepan.

Add the carrots first and let them cook for about three minutes. Then add the onions and celery. I didn't take separate pictures because I figured you would hate me by the end of this post...so you're welcome. I may have also forgotten. We'll just say it was for your benefit, though.

Add a fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Yes I am super precise in my measuring. I like to pretend I'm a real chef when I throw spices in willy nilly. Usually it works out okay so I just go with it. 

Add another six tablespoons of butter (butter is key to this recipe!). I only had five tablespoons, but I won't tell if you won't!

Next comes a half cup of flour to thicken it up!

Like my nails? Don't ask the color...I have no idea. Also they won't last long since we have clinicals coming up. The woes of nursing school.

Okay, sorry, back to the recipe...next add the broth!

Then add the one and a half cups of milk and let it simmer. 

After the milk....SPICES! I actually added Basil and Rosemary on top of the thyme and parsley. I also eyeballed it because, let's be honest, that's the best way!

As you can see this is how I cut my pie crust. I wanted it bigger than the ramekins, but didn't have a bowl in the size I wanted. Oh and I also used a store bought pie crust. Don't judge. We've all done it. 

They aren't the cutest pie crust circles, but they get the job done.

I added frozen corn and the shredded chicken. I also forgot to take a picture so here's the final pot of deliciousness. 

Fill the ramekin's up to the top. They won't spill over (much) so don't worry! 

Cover the full ramekins with the pie crust and pinch the sides of the dough around the ramekins. Mine don't really show it pinched in...we all have our struggle days. Be sure to slit the tops for ventilation. 

Put them in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. I had to put mine in for a little longer because the crust didn't look as done. 

Take them out and use every ounce of will power not to dive head first into the buttery, flaky, chickeny goodness. 

Recipe from Simply Scratch

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 chicken breasts
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 whole carrots or 8 baby carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 cup cooked potatoes, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 3 cups chicken broth, heated
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
• 1 homemade or store bought pie crusts
• 4-6 (10 ounce) Ramekins

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease the ramekins. 

Dice carrots, celery, and onions. 

Peel, nuke, and cut the potatoes. 

Cook chicken and shred in stand mixer or with forks. 

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven or sauce pan. 

Add the diced carrots to butter and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the celery and onion with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots are soft. 

Add in the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter (let it melt) along with the half cup of flour, let cook for about 2 minutes and stir often. 

Pour the 3 cups of chicken broth and the milk. Let it simmer and thicken for about 5-8 minutes. It may seem like a lot of liquid, but it will thicken the more it cooks. 

Add in frozen corn, chicken, and any other frozen veggies. Stir and taste. Add any seasonings like basil and rosemary. Add more salt and pepper if needed. 

Unroll the pie crust and use the ramekin or a bowl that is slightly larger than the ramekin to trace and cut out 4-6 circles depending on the amount of ramekins. 

Put the greased ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and divide the diced cooked potatoes into each ramekin. 

Spoon the filling over the potatoes to the top. Let it cool some and place pie dough over the top. Crimp the edges and make slits for ventilation. 

Put the tray of pot pies in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. It may take longer, but bake until the crust is golden. 

Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Enjoy!