Soups On!!!

Well, Chicken Pot Pie anyway. You know what I mean. Dinner is ready. Since my darling, wonderful son will eat chicken sparingly, I try to ply him with as much as I can with one of his favorites: Pot Pie!!! Not the grocery store ones; he won't touch those. Only the ones made by mommy and that has the delicious crust. Doesn't it look yummy?

I thought I would share my preparations with you for my semi-homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I take a lot of help from the grocery store. These are some of the ingredients:

Here is how it all came together. I start out by heating my Crockpot and putting in about three tablespoons of butter. (If you are using boned chicken with the skin on--use only 1 tablespoon of butter.) Mine is set to high, I normally do low and allow the meat to simmer for a few hours and I don't have to turn it.

Then I add some salt and pepper to the bottom of the pot.

Next I add in the fresh veggies and another layer of seasonings. This will allow all of that goodness to cook up into the chicken taking lots of flavoring with it.

My seasonings are simple...a bit of Kosher salt and this time Lemon/ Pepper seasoning. Two large skinless and boneless chicken breast are laid atop the seasonings and more salt and pepper is added to the top.

Depending on how fast your pot cooks, put the lid on and set the timer for one hour. Prick the breast with the tines of a fork and turn so that the other side can get a nice bath in the liquid that has accumulated.

The aroma is intoxicating and the combination of the butter, onions and peppers makes it smell like you really know what you are doing. Basically, it gives support to the term comfort food. 

Now is the time to prep your frozen Vegetables. I take my help where I can get it. 

Since I do not want to drastically lower the temp of the pot by adding ice cold veggies, I pour them up in a plate to allow them to thaw a bit. You could cook them in the Cream of and add it hot, but I prefer not to. I like for my veggies to soak up the broth from the chicken so that everything is nicely flavored.

After the chicken has cooked through-- this is about another 60-90 minutes depending on your Crock pot--and created more liquid, remove the breast and allow to cool enough to dice.  Make sure you replace the lid to keep the temperature of the pot hot while you prep the chicken.

Return the chopped meat back to the crock pot and add in the semi-thawed vegetables. Mix well and allow the flavors to blend for about 15 minutes.

  

Now you are ready for what I call the real goodness. The Cream of...I am using some leftover Cream of Mushroom that I had from another pasta dish and adding to it the Cream of Chicken. I prefer the Campbell's brand but this one was on sale. You can tell the difference by color of the cream. Mix well using gentle turning motions of the spatula or large spoon.

Allow that to meld together for as long as you like. I wait until mine starts to bubble--which in this pot does not take long. We need to get ready to fill our pies. I am using a store brand but prefer the Pet Ritz Deep Dish pies as the crust is flakier and really simulates homemade. I have made my own before, but when pressed for time, I take help from others. You will need one egg to create a wash for the top crust. Go ahead and preheat your oven and cookie sheet to 400 degrees.

Take one of the pies and remove the rim with a sharp knife. Lay it to the side as you will use it on the topping. 

For the other crust, fill it with your chicken mixture. Be careful not to overfill. My two breasts created enough for two pies.

Take the shaved crust and turn it face down on top of your pie.

The heat from the mixture will cause the dough to soften and fall. Of course I let mine get too soft because I had to get the camera. Doesn't hurt it a bit. Just makes it look more homemade. Press it down onto your pie and add the cut off strip.

Next comes the egg wash. Reserve just the whites from one egg and add a couple of drops of water. Whisk together but not hard enough to form peaks.

Brush this all over the exposed crusts of your pie.

Wrap the edges in foil to prevent the crust from burning or browning too quickly. Place a few slits into the top of the crust to allow the steam and heat to escape.

Place your pie on the cookie sheet and bake for about an hour and a half or until the pie bubbles and the crust browns. 

That is how I prepare my semi-homemade Chicken Pot Pie. You can cut down the steps by cooking the meat for one hour and adding the veggies for the second hour. Then add your Cream of and spoon it into your pie crust and bake. Also makes a great make ahead meal. It will require a bit longer in the oven for the filling to become piping hot.

My son loves it and will eat two slices. I pair it with a fruit salad and some ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. The ultimate home cooked meal that does not keep me in the kitchen all day. 

Enjoy!!! 

Until then.