Chicken Pot Pie

Remember when I teased you (my Facebook fans), with that picture of my chicken pot pie last week?  Well here it is in all of its creamy glory!  This recipe is really easy and the end result can be used in many ways.  To be honest, it is a recipe that I have adapted from my mom's Chicken A la King recipe.  I'm pretty sure it is from her tattered Betty Crocker cookbook she received as a wedding gift. 

Wherever it came from, I use this basic recipe (plus or minus a few things depending on what I have on hand) for pot pie, chicken a la king, over noodles, toast and the list goes on!  Make a big batch and use the left overs for something different.  Oh how I love left overs on a weeknight.  

Musical Selection:  Hazy by: Rosi Golan. A chill Monday tune.

Start by chopping an onion and tossing it into a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.

After a few minutes throw in a clove or two of minced garlic.  Clearly I had my burner on too high as you can see.  Put it on medium, trust me.

Once the onions and garlic are tender, toss in a few tablespoons of butter.  I try this with margarine however, something causes it to not work.  Basically, it evaporates and that isn't good for this recipe because we want to use it to thicken the sauce.  More on that later.

Toss in a little fresh thyme.  I had fresh so I used it, you could totally use dried if that is what you have.  Hand modeling credit: Mr. Schwartz

Toss in some rosemary as well.  Additional hand modeling by: Mr. Schwartz

After you add the herbs and the butter is bubbling (see middle right of the picture), sprinkle in some flour.

Stir it around and let this cook for about 2 minutes to get the floury taste out.

Add a few tablespoons of chicken base.  Typically I used Waitkins brand.  Oh that stuff is gooood.  But, I am fresh out so I used some supermarket brand stuff.  It was okay. You can find this stuff in the soup isle.  I highly recommend it over the cubes.  That way you can control how much you need and it doesn't sit in your pan waiting to dissolve.

Next, pour in the half and half.  I used fat free and you couldn't tell the difference.

Let it bubble up and thicken a bit.  Keep stirring this whole time.

Toss in some cooked chicken.  I poached mine and cut it into cubes.  You could grill/fry it up as well. Whatever method you prefer. 

Next, add the veggies.  I like to use those SteamFresh veggies that come frozen.  I defrosted them for just a minute on high then tossed them in.  We hate mushy veggies around here so putting them in the sauce and into the oven cooked them perfectly.

Stir it up and add some parsley.  It just makes it look prettier.

Oh and you thought I was going to make some home made crust.  I'm suuure.  Well, this stuff does the trick.  It is right by the crescent rolls in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.  They are also used in my Mini Pigs in a Blanket (a great Super Bowl food if I do say so myself).  If you can't find them, I'm sure the regular crescent rolls would work just fine.

Roll out the dough, as in take it from the package and place it on a cutting surface.  You don't want to play with it too much or it will loose it's flakiness.  I used the largest biscuit cutter I could and cut two "crusts" out.

Pour the mixture into two bowls or mini pots that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Oh gosh I'm obsessed with these things.  We received them as a free gift for registering for something at Macy's.  I'm seriously looking for other recipes to use these for--if you have any idea please leave it in a comment below the recipe!

Place the crust on and into the oven they go.  I baked mine for about 20 minutes or until they were just golden.

Like this.

Liquid magma hot but these were tasty.

Happy Monday! 

Chicken Pot Pie 

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

4 tablespoons of flour 

2 tablespoons of chicken bullion base

3 cups of fat free half and half 

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 bag frozen veggies, defrosted by putting in the microwave for one minute on high

1 roll of puff pastry/crescent rolls

Start by tossing the onions into a large skillet on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.  After a few minutes, add the garlic.  Saute until the onions are tender.  

Next, add the butter and herbs.  Bring to a bubble and add the flour.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes to take our the floury taste.  Add the chicken bullion base.  

Pour in the half and half and stir to get all the lumps out.  Keep stirring for about two minutes or until it thickens just a bit.  Add the chicken and veggies.  Take off of the heat and set aside. 

Take the dough out of the roll and place onto a cutting surface.  Be sure not to work with it too much or it will loose it's flakiness.  Cut out circles of dough that will just fit into your bowl or baking dish.  you want there to be space between the dough and the side of the dish or it will bubble over.  If you don't want to use individual bowls you could put it all into a baking dish and place the dough on top.  

Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  If you use one big big dish you might need to increase the cooking time.  

Take it out and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz