For the past week, I've asked Lumen what she wants for dinner every afternoon, thinking she'd offer up her rolodex of usual requests like Goldfish, strawberries, string cheese or just chocolate. She's got exquisite taste, folks! My kind of girl. But to my surprise, she suggested chicken pot pie. Every single day. So I figured I should comply. It's got your meat, seasonings, and delicious veggies all wrapped together in a flaky, buttery crust. Initially, I kept brushing off her request because of the idea of making pie crust and rolling it out. It's just so much easier to roast some veggies and grill some chicken! But the more she suggested it, the more it sounded too good to pass up. This pie crust actually took me less effort than crusts I've made in the past, and it was even more delicious! So here is my version. Lumen scarfed her entire adult-sized piece (as did we!) It's soul-satisfying, easy, and most importantly, toddler approved.
For the filling, you'll need:
2 chicken breasts, or about 3 cups shredded
1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1 C chopped onions (I used 1/2 C red + 1/2 C green)
3 medium carrots, or about 2 C
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 C broccoli
1 1/2 C sweet potatoes
1 C celery, or about 2 large stalks chopped
1 C fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 Tsp dried rosemary
1/2 Tsp dried thyme
1/2 C flour
2 C chicken broth
For the crust, you'll need:
1 1/4 C flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 C cold butter, sliced
3 to 5 Tb ice cold water
1 egg, for wash
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. First, make your crust. Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add your cut butter pieces and blend them thoroughly with a pastry cutter (or a fork) until it resembles coarse meal and no large chunks of butter remain. Add your ice water, a tablespoon at a time, and stir until it starts holding together when squeezed. Don't over mix! Form dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate while you make your filling.
I like to prepare all my ingredients at once. Dice all of your vegetables, then throw your chicken in a frying pan to cook. I like to cook them over medium-high heat in a tablespoon of olive oil for just about 2 minutes per side. It will keep the chicken really juicy. Once it's finished cooking, shred it. In a medium to large pot, melt the butter. Add carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes and onions and sauté for about 2 minutes, until they've softened a little. Then add your garlic, salt, pepper, and flour. Mix well. Pour in the chicken broth slowly and stir. Now add your celery, parsley, rosemary and thyme, and stir continuously for about a minute or two, until the sauce has thickened a little. Add your shredded chicken to the pot and remove from heat.
Take out your pie crust and knead it to break it in a little. Split it in half and roll out each half circle as large as you can make it. Fill your pie pan or skillet with one half and push the dough into the sides and up to the top. Take your filling and pour it all into the dish, spreading it to fill. Now take the top half of the dough and cover the filling. Because this recipe makes for a light, flaky crust, it's very delicate. I just took extra pieces hanging over the edge and patched them onto the exposed parts of the perimeter, until the whole top was covered. Next, make an egg wash by whisking an egg and a tablespoon of milk or water together, and brush it over the top. This will keep your pie crust from drying out too much and give it a nice glaze to brown.
Bake your pie on a center rack with a baking pan below (in case of bubbling over) for about 25 minutes. Take it out when the top is a nice golden brown. The filling is already cooked, so it's really just up to you to bake it to your liking, whether its more doughy or crispy! When it's ready to come out, let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Tyler had to sneak Ever into my shot, and I quite like how it came out. This face was too cute not to throw in here...