Chicken Pot Pie

I have a growing list of dishes that I want to try to make and Chicken Pot Pie happened to be high on that list. So, I delved into recipes to find one that suited my tastes. Maybe I analyze things too closely because I rarely find a recipe that I completely like. So, I tweaked a few recipes and came up with this one (see my notes below):

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

1 cups milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts or homemade pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk while whisking. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

**If you would like a bottom crust, line the pie plate with one pie crust before adding filling**

Place the chicken mixture in the bottom of a greased pie plate or glass dish. Pour chicken broth mixture over. Cover top with crust and seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow the steam to escape during cooking. If desired, you can brush the top with one egg white mixed with a tablespoon of water.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: 1) I boiled the chicken and vegetables in chicken broth which gave it a little richer flavor.

2) I wasn't crazy about the thought of a gooey bottom crust, so I omitted it completely. I poured the mixture into a greased pie plate and covered with the crust. If you want a bottom crust, I would suggest pre baking it for about 6 minutes before adding the chicken mixture. 3) Probably since I added more liquid than the original recipes called for, I had enough to fill an 8x8 square dish and a pie plate (not deep dish style). Since I only used a top crust, I had one for each dish.

Everyone in the family liked this one and it was great as leftovers too. I packed away single servings of this for our lunches later in the week. I also froze a couple and they were good reheated as well.