Chicken Pot Pie!

I was recently asked for this recipe, so I thought I'd post it here:

Chicken Pot Pie

1 chicken (you know, a whole one!)

4 carrots

6 small potatoes or 4 medium ones….or 2 large ones….or 1 huge one
use your best judgment on the spud thing

2 cans crème of chicken soup

1 can peas

Salt & pepper to taste

4 pie crusts

Bake chicken in roaster pan with butter and Herbs de Provence on top. (I don’t know where you get Herbs de Provence. I get it from My Friend Sharon’s house because her husband buys herbs in bulk and he is my supplier, so unless you know My Friend Sharon you may have to do some research for this part……or come over to my house and get some. You only need about 2 teaspoons.)

After the bird is MOSTLY cooked take it out of the oven, throw it into a big stockpot and cover with water. Boil until it’s falling apart. Remove the bird and shred the meat. Set aside.

Now, while the bird was boiling I HOPE you were peeling and dicing the carrots and potatoes (putting the potato pieces into cold water so they don’t turn all brown and evil on ya!). Strain the chicken water to make sure any weird stuff is outta there and throw the carrots in. After about a5-6 minutes add the potatoes. (carrots take longer, as you probably know!) When carrots and potatoes are done (fork ‘almost-tender’. ....you don’t want them done all the way as they will continue cooking once inside their cozy little pastry blanket)

Now it’s time to assemble your Chicken Pie. Lay one pie crust into the pie tin. (Yes, I use store-bought pie crusts. You can all just collectively tsktsk right now. Life is short. I buy pie crusts. We move on.) In a BIG BOWL put the chopped chicken and crème of chicken soup and stir. Now…..gently people, GENTLY fold in the drained carrots and potatoes. When they are fully incorporated you can GENTLY stir in the peas. A gentle hand is called for or you will create baby food here. You really don’t want to mash it all together, but gently and lovingly introduce the various ingredients to each other, as in a culinary meet n’ greet. Now, turn this mixture into the pie crusts. (I told you to put ONE pie crust into a pan, but we are making two, no? So, do it TWICE!)

Put the top crust on and pinch together. I tend to just sorta’ fold the top over the bottom as I go around. It makes for a nice Wallace & Grommit type crust, very homey looking, not Martha Stewart at all, but that’s how I roll, you must find your own way, grasshoppa’.

Oh, and for the love of all that is good in a pot pie,……PUT SOME SLITS IN THE TOP or the whole thing will blow up and try to explode in your oven.

…..ask me how I know?

Since this recipe makes two you can save the other one by freezing it or give it to a friend who just had a baby!

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or so. I have a temperamental oven so I never know how long something is going to take. Keep an eye on it. You may need to cover it with foil during the last half.

Enjoy! I made ours yesterday with a blueberry pie. There is nothing quite like seeing my little man shoving my freshly baked blueberry pie into his mouth with great gusto and a huge smile! It warmed the cockles of my heart.....whatever the heck a 'cockle' is,....mine were warm yesterday!