Deep South Eats: Perfect Chicken Pot Pie

Is there anything that screams comfort food more to you than Chicken Pot Pie? I know for me it is one of the most satisfying home cooked meals. From the flaky crust and the crisp vegetables to the smooth, creamy sauce it warms your soul from the inside out. This recipe is great to serve for company or even when needing a meal to take to someone that is home bound. I have even had good success when I freeze it tightly wrapped and bake when I am ready to eat it.

Ingredients:

• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup white wine (optional but adds SO much flavor)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 refrigerated ready to roll out pie crust or 1 recipe of homemade pie crust

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt the butter in a large pot of Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, yellow onion, peas and corn and saute until the vegetables start to become translucent (a couple of minutes).
• Add in the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes stirring gently.
• Pour in the chicken broth and stir constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine. Continue stirring until bouillon cube is completely dissolved.
• Pour in the cream and stir. Cook the mixture over low heat for about 4 minutes. It will gradually thicken. 
• Season with thyme and salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
• Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan or small casserole dish.
• Roll out the crust so that it is 1 inch larger than the pan. Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and gently press around the edges to seal to the sides of the dish. Cut small slits in the top to vent.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and your filling is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Original Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook

Some of you all had asked about shredding chicken with a hand mixer instead of the stand mixer. I gave it a go and it worked pretty well. Put it on a high speed and do one breast at a time. You will have a little layer of the chicken that doesn't shred as well but it will take a second to tear it up a bit.

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