Chicken Pot Pie. Talk about comfort food. This is it...especially with a cold spell hitting TN over the next several days. Perfectly seasoned (if I do say so myself) gravy with fresh vegetables, cream, and tender chicken- topped off with a big beautiful biscuit!
Everyone has their take on this family favorite and this is mine. The filling is homemade, but to save time, I use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. There's always some chicken left over after making this, so I freeze it for a stir fry meal later. Canned biscuits or store-bought pie crusts also save time, making this meal come together pretty quickly. Simple, delicious, and all in one pan! Plus it's a pretty presentation in these adorable individual crocks that I got several years ago from Le Creuset. I have the larger 14-ounce cocottes, so the size is plenty for an nice serving. And if you're having company, you can make the filling ahead, store the crocks in the fridge with the matching lid, and just add the dough and bake right before your guests arrive.
Enjoy, stay warm and spring, please hurry up :)))
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3 to 4 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
Several generous dashes garlic powder
1 cup frozen green peas (thawed or not)
1/2 cup half & half
3 cups cooked chicken (I use plain, not seasoned, store-bought rotisserie chicken)
Canned or homemade biscuits (or store-bought or homemade pie crusts)
Directions:
In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium high heat. Add in onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute until crisp tender.
Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir to form a paste. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture will be sticky and thick.
Pour in chicken broth and seasoning, stir to blend and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer sauce until mixture thickens to form a gravy.
Pour in peas, 1/2 and 1/2, and stir to blend. Fold in chicken and reduce heat to low. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Distribute pot pie filling into individual crocks (mine are 14 ounces each).
Shape canned or homemade biscuits to fit the top of the each crock, working it like pizza dough to stretch to the size.
Bake according to biscuit or crust directions until browned.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Nan's Notes: If you don't have individual crocks, you can pour the filling into a 9 1/2-inch pie plate or a 9-inch casserole dish, top with biscuits (I used the entire can for the casserole dish) or pie crust, and bake. Make sure to place a rimmed cookie sheet underneath to avoid drips in your oven. If you are making the filling ahead of time and storing in the fridge, pull
the filling from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking and let warm up a bit on the countertop before topping it with the dough, assuring that the filling is nice and hot when the dough is done browning. Also, make sure to get the plain variety rotisserie chicken and not one that's seasoned. You don't want Lemon Pepper or Spicy Southwest taking over the taste :))