auntie amber's chicken pot pie

Auntie Amber = My kiddos Dad’s youngest sister

Ingredients:

2 small potatoes or 1 large (Cubed, then boiled)

2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (Boiled, then cubed/Save water you boil in) or Whole Rotisserie Chicken Shredded

16 oz Bag of Frozen Mixed Vegetables

1 cup of Milk

1 stick of butter

2-3 Tbsp Flour (enough to thicken)

1 Tbsp Chicken Boullion Powder (or 2-3 cubes)

2 rolls of Pie crust dough

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tools:

Medium to Large Skillet

Whisk

Large Wooden or Plastic Spoon

Cutting Board

Knife

2 pots (for boiling, 1 if using rotisserie chicken)

Measuring cups

8x8 baking pan, deep dish pie plate or cake pan

 Directions:

1) Start chicken, then potatoes.

Boil boneless skinless chicken for about 20 minutes, then cube or shred. Save 1 cup of the water for later. While chicken is boiling, cut up potatoes into cubes and boil in another pot for about 20 minutes, then drain.

*If using rotisserie chicken, pick and shred chicken. Save 1 cup of the water potatoes were boiled in instead.

 2) In a medium to large skillet, melt stick of butter on medium heat. Whisk in flour to start thickening. Whisk in milk and turn it a little hotter to get it to bubble a bit. 

 3) Add in frozen veggies, potatoes, chicken bouillon powder or cubes, chicken and about a cup of the water the chicken was boiled in. Mix and let simmer about 10 minutes. Add a little more flour, if not getting to thick gravy-like consistency after a few minutes. Salt and pepper to your taste.

 4) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll one of the pie crusts into an 8x8 square baking pan or deep round cake or pie pan. Pour mixture into pan and then unroll 2nd pie crust dough doll on top. Pinch corners like pie crust and make several slits on top.

5) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top (and thus the bottom dough has had time to bake too!)

TIPS:

1. Perfect post holiday meal to use leftover turkey, chicken or pork.

2. If doubling, use a 12x8 or 13x9ish size (two crusts to line bottom and 2 on top) OR if keeping one/giving one, make one in pie plate or 8”x8” and the other in a foil disposable pan of same size covering with foil (even if it comes with clear plastic lid to go over foil). Be sure to allow a little extra baking time for bottom crust to completely bake through if doubling in one large baking pan.

3. Because it is so easy to double, this is my go to for Meal Trains when friends are sick or having a baby. Cook once and you have one to give away and one for the family dinner that night at your house.

4. A NOTE ABOUT DOUBLING: I like to use 2 different med to lg skillets that each have one recipe’s worth of ingredients. When I double ingredients in 1 large skillet, it is never as good.

5. Whether making for another family or our own, I treat the pot pie as a “take n bake” because it is the business hot out of the oven. So while I may prep during morning, I don’t bake ours until that evening and I write “Bake 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown” on the foil that tops a throw away foil pan I assemble the pot pie in when making for another family.

   After you make this a time or two, you get an eye for the consistency you like (the amount of flour) or even the amount of chicken bouillon you like to make it taste the way you prefer.