Thursdays Are For Cooking

| October 17, 2019

As the weather is beginning to lean toward bouts with chill winds and sometimes stinging precipitation, a classic dish that your Mom might have made is in order. This recipe comes from Betty C., and is not at all fussy. Mom might have said she fixed it because it was so easy, especially with all those canned soups that the MmmmGood! twins were advertising on TV, never mind the frozen foods, right around the time the Mickey Mouse Club came on the tube.

This recipe should serve six people.  If you have, or expect to feed, a hungry crowd, might be a good idea to make two pans of it. Add the cut veggies and a salad on the side, plenty of beverages, and for dessert, plain old classic apple pie with a daub of vanilla ice cream, or pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 ¾ cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2½ to 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

1 box (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots

1 package (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Directions:

1 – In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat.

2 – Heat oven to 425°F. Roll 1 pie crust into 13-inch square. Ease into ungreased 9-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Pour chicken mixture into crust-lined dish.

3 – Roll remaining pie crust into 11-inch square. Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter. Place square over chicken mixture. Arrange cutouts on top crust. Turn edges of pie crust under; flute edge.

4 – Bake about 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Additional Tips:

For a pretty finish to the crust, brush it with an egg wash (beat an egg with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle lightly with a coarse salt.

Use the small cutters to create steam vents in the top crust or just cut slits in the pastry with the tip of a paring knife.

For a lump-free white sauce, use a medium wire whisk to stir in the flour and then to constantly stir the sauce as you pour in the broth and milk.

To roll the pie crust rounds into a square, place the pastry on a lightly floured counter, pastry cloth or sheet of parchment paper. Then, carefully press the pastry into more of a square shape before rolling it into a 13-inch square. next, fold the dough in half and lay it into half of the baking dish. Finally, unfold it and gently press it into the corners of the pan to create the bottom crust, being careful not to stretch it. The dough should extend just a little over the edges.

Swap in 1 1/2 cups of any frozen vegetable combo for the peas and carrots, slicing larger pieces (like broccoli or cauliflower) into smaller pieces so they blend more evenly in the sauce.

Category: Economy

16 Comments
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5th/77th FA

Looked up from the screen while reading this and in my mind could see Mama rolling out her dough to make this. Got a little dusty, must be the flour in the air. Right about this time in ’79 when she made it for the last time.

Thanks for the memory and the pro tip of the pie shells. Now that it is finally cooled off here, I can get intimate with my oven again.

Friend

Chicken pot pie for dinner..

Friend

Extra place setting is being prepared 🙂

Friend

You are late..we’ll keep it warm..

ninja

Yummy!

Always good to make after Thanksgiving or Christmas using left over Turkey (that is, IF there are ANY leftover Gobble-Gobble bits).

Leftover Ham works as well.

Thank You for sharing, Ex.

Claw

“chicken liver” = Best Catfish bait ever!!!

David

Fried chicken livers, Coke, and aspirin…great hangover cure.

Fyrfighter

Leftover game meat and beef broth work well too!

Frankie Cee

Cooking you say? Ol’ Mother Nature is cooking up a rainstorm and lightweight blow down in the Gulf of Mexico that will pretty much keep me inside Friday and Saturday. The storm warnings are blowing the wind speeds out of proportion for this next event. I just put some kidney beans to soak, and will make up a crockpot of Chili for the weekend. I measure my Florida cold season, (winter is too harsh a word for this climate), by when I first wear long pants for warmth, until I can get back in shorts again. This morning it was a bone chilling 53 degrees.

USAF RET

yeah, here in panhandle we are prepped. Beer and wine in fridge. Pot of Chili on stove. All potential missiles have been secured. Just need to hit redbox for a few movies.

OWB

Physics lesson for the week is thus concluded as PH gives us absolute proof that pie are square.

Carolyn Bowman

Next time try adding some celery, thyme and tarragon.