Chicken Pot Pie

A classic stick-to-your guts comforting winter recipe. This recipe should make 2 pies, but here I have pictures of one GIANT pie I made by mistake :). You can either halve the recipe for one pie or make two pies (and simply make more crust).

Recipe is here and some pictures of the process are below:

Ingredients:

Filling (2 pies):

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes

• 1 3/4 cups sliced carrots

• 1 cup butter, cubed

• 2/3 cup chopped onion

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme

• 3/4 tsp. black pepper

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 4 cups cubed/shredded cooked chicken thighs (preferably) or breast

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1 cup frozen corn

Pie crust (for 1-2 pies):

• 4 cups flour (measure carefully, do not pack!)

• 2 sticks salted butter cut into 16 cubes and frozen

• 2 tsp. salt

• 12 tbsp. ice water (3/4 cup)

Directions:

Crust:

1. Only make ½ the crust at a time. Add 1 cup flour to food processor. Add butter on top and add remaining 1 cup of flour on top. Add sugar and salt. Pulse on and off for about 1 minute until pieces are smaller than a pea (can be as big as a pea as well).

2. Add in water and pulse for slightly longer intervals until a sandy like texture is achieved.

3. Pour onto floured surface and squish it together until you get a ball of dough. Combine both balls and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Filling:

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender; drain.

2. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds while stirring.

3. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.

4. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.

5. Stir in chicken, peas, corn and potato mixture; remove from heat. Set aside to cool. Note: you can also refrigerate the filling for up to 24 hours, which might give you a flakier crust!

6. Cut pie dough into 4 halves. Roll them out until about 1/8 inch thick circles.

7. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

8. Place two sheets into the bottom of two 9-in. pie plates; trim even with rims. Add chicken mixture. Place pie tops over the filling. Trim the crust edges, seal with a fork or your fingers, and flute the edges. Cut slits in the tops of both pies.

9. Bake 50-55 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 15-30 minutes before cutting.

10. Makes 2 potpies (8 servings each) or 1 massive pot pie (8 servings).

Freezer pie option:

1. Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 425°. Place pies on baking sheets; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.

The delicious filling (how I didn't realize it was meant for two pies I really don't know...)

Adding the filling into the bottom crust

Adding the crop crust and making it look beautiful (plus cutting the essential airholes).

Absolutely massive, it was over 4 inches tall.

A very high filling:crust ratio but it still tasted delicious!