Comfort Food...Chicken Pot Pie

Something about the cold weather makes me want comfort food.  Maybe because it gets dark so early in the winter months, or quite possibly because I know I have until next spring to really worry about my gut. :)  As a kid I used to love those nasty chicken pot pies you get in the frozen food section in their own individual pie tins.  They are for chicken pot pie what Kraft is for Mac and Cheese.  I have tried a couple of different chicken pot pie recipes over the years, but this one beats them all hands down! 

This recipe came to me via Allrecipes.com. 

Chicken Pot Pie:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)


In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
 

 

The BEST and I mean absolutely BEST part of this recipe is the sauce/gravy.  It is so similar to the chicken pot pies I remember as a kid...it actually reminded me of HOT LUNCHES in elementary school.  I know, you probably think I have finally snapped, but this recipe completely does justice to your comfort food cravings.  And the CHICKEN!  Holy tenderness, Batman!  You have to worry....well, if you're me, you have to worry about overcooking chicken and making it tough and dry.  The chicken came out so PERFECT!  Using the premade pie crusts made this a REALLY easy recipe.  Because the pie crusts made the recipe so easy I decided to add a flourish to my top by using a pumpkin cookie cutter and placing them on top with little spaces so the heat could escape.  I highly suggest you check this recipe out.