Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Growing up, I LOVED the pot pies you could get in the freezer section - the delicious crispy edges of the crust, the soft mushy part at the bottom, and the veggies and gravy that oozed out when you cut into it. Sometime in my teen years I actually looked at the calorie and fat content on the package (and the ingredients) - and I don't think I've eaten one since!!!


Well, a few years ago my mom visited us when we lived out in Washington and she made this version of a homemade pot pie. Its the best I've tasted. I usually use homemade cream of chicken or mushroom soup in place of the store-bought MSG-laden kind. Or, a good alternative is to use an organic MSG-free canned soup such as these:

Here's the recipe:


CHICKEN POT PIE
top and bottom crust for deep dish pie plate (or make your own)
3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups potatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery (or if you have none, I have simply used celery seeds instead)
1 cup frozen peas

Sauce:
3 T. flour
1/2 t. paprika
2 cups liquid (1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup plus enough liquid from cooked vegetables to add up to 2 cups!)
2 buillon cubes - non MSG kind (or the granulated type that are MSG free)
salt and pepper as desired

1. Assemble bottom of pie crust in pie plate. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Cook together in a medium to large pot the potatoes, carrots, onions and celery in enough water to cover vegetables. I cook until they are just becoming tender. When done, DO NOT DRAIN, but add 1 cup of frozen peas. Cover - will need a bit of the cooking water in a minute.

*note, in this picture I used some sweet potatoes in addition to the white potatoes. It was very yummy!

3. Make your 2 cups of liquid by including in a large glass measuring cup the can of soup plus enough cooking water from the vegetables to make 2 cups. Add bouillon cubes to mixture and stir until they are dissolved. I use the non-MSG kind of these as well. YOU MAY NOW DRAIN THE VEGGIES and add the chicken to the veggies.

4. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and then add the flour paprika and the 2 cups of above liquid, as well as salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil. Add to the chicken and veggie mixture. Pour into pie pan and then add the top crust. Cut a few slits in top crust and bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is lightly browned!

*This recipe can easily be changed to include turkey or shredded beef (for beef, use a beef-based cream soup for filling as well as beef bouillon).