Chicken Pot Pie*

This recipe is not for the weak.  I repeat..NOT for the weak.  I usually make this over the course of a couple of days.

This recipe should give you 5 pot pies at 5 cups per pie.

30 oz bag of carrots (or 2 bags of chopped fresh carrots)

30 oz bag of frozen peas

30 oz bag of frozen sweet corn

2 cups of chopped white onion

12 oz. of chopped mushroom (dark variety for hearty, white mushrooms for a lighter taste)

3/4 cup butter

1 cup flour

1.5 tsp salt

3/4 tsp sage

1/4 tsp pepper

5 cups water

2 1/4 cup milk (skim is fine)

3 T chicken bouillon

9 cups cooked chicken (I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs…16 thighs is usually my target)

3/4 cup snipped parsley

Double pie crusts (1 set per pie)

I break up the cooking over a day or two.  Roast chicken at 350 degrees with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper until chicken reaches 150-155 degrees. Cook the vegetables and drain.  Cook the onion and mushrooms in butter until tender, but not brown.  If you use fresh carrots, add them to the mushroom step. Stir in flour, sage, salt, and pepper. until you get a nice, even roux.  Add water, milk, and bouillon all at once.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly (this takes a while, about 30 minutes, depending on how much you are making at once).  Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more.  Stir in drained, cooked vegetables, chicken, and parsley; heat through.  Cool a bit. Do not put boiling ingredients into a pie shell. It will go mushy.

If freezing: Spoon into freezer bags in pie-sized portions.  It will keep up to 6 months. It is BEST FRESH, but it is still good thawed. I only gift fresh versions.

Thaw a bag completely.  Roll out bottom pie crust and put it in a 9 inch pie pan.  Baste with a tiny bit of egg white.  Place chicken mixture in pie plate, top with upper crust.  Baste with a bit more egg white.  Cut a few slits in top, bake 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. It needs to set up, and trust me…this stuff is HOT.

 

*This recipe was inspired closely from a recipe published in “Don’t Panic, Dinner’s In The Freezer”, by Martinez, et al, published in 2005. After making this countless times, I’ve modified technique, amounts, and some of the ingredients.