I’ve made some good chicken pot pies through the years, but the one I made yesterday was so tasty! I will be keeping this recipe to use again. Like other dishes, better quality ingredients mean a better finished product.

My recipe below is one I tweaked from Simply Scratch and it makes enough for two single-crust chicken pot pies. Don’t be afraid of the butter and milk in the recipe. Use low fat milk if you must but please use real butter.

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole chicken (organic preferred) – quick method is to buy a ready made rotisserie chicken.
1 stick of Butter, divided
2 whole Carrots, peeled and diced small
2 Celery Stalks, diced small
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 small Diced Yukon Potato
1 medium Sweet Onion, peeled and diced small
16 oz. bag of Frozen Peas
1/2 cup Frozen Corn
3 cups Chicken Broth, warmed – Use homemade from the Whole Chicken you just made if you can.
1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (use regular Whole Wheat or White if that’s what you’ve got on hand)
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper, more or less to taste
1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Dried Sage
1 Package store-bought Crust. I used a box from the Immaculate Baking Company or a Homemade Pie Crust recipe.
2 9-inch pie pans or 6 (10-ounce) Ramekins

TO COOK THE CHICKEN: Place the chicken in a large pot and fill with water up high on the chicken. Throw in some salt, pepper and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Let cook for about 30 minutes until cooked through. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let cool for a few minutes, then remove all meat and put into a bowl. You may have some extra meat to use for another recipe also.

TO MAKE THE POT PIES: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease pie pans with a little butter or olive oil.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven.

Add in the diced carrots, onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the diced potato and season with a teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the carrots are soft {but not too soft}.

Now add in the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter and let that melt. Once melted add in the half cup of flour and stir often while it cooks for 2 minutes.

Pour in the 3 cups of hot chicken broth and the 1-1/2 cups of whole milk. Let that simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened 5-8 minutes.

Next add in the frozen peas, corn, cooked chicken, dried parsley,thyme and sage. Stir. Taste add season further with up to a teaspoon more of salt and a little more black pepper if desired.

Set your two pie plates next to each other and scoop the goo evenly into each pie plate.

Let them cool down a bit before placing the pie dough over top and crimping the edges. With a sharp knife make slits for ventilation.

Slide the pot pies into a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden. I like to put foil or a crust guard over my crust so it doesn’t get too dark. That’s personal preference.

Remove and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

NOTES: *For a glossy top crust, try beating an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over top before baking.