Chicken Pot Pie

Macey, our oldest, helped me cook dinner last night. She’s been wanting to cook more, so earlier this week she got out her Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook and found a recipe she wanted to try for us. She decided to make Chicken Pot Pie and made me a shopping list so I would know what all to buy. How cute is that?! No resisting that one. We changed up the recipe a little bit and I’ll make notations as to what we did differently. But, here is the recipe in case anyone else would like to get in the kitchen and whip up this yummy meal with your own children.

Chicken Pot Pie
From Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook 

What you’ll need:

• Medium pot
• Tongs
• Cutting Board
• Medium Sharp Knife
• Liquid measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Small pot
• Dry measuring cup (1/4 cup)
• Whisk
• 9-inch glass pie plate
• Oven mitts or hot pad
• Scoop for serving
• 2 chicken breasts with skin and bone (we used thin sliced boneless breasts – about four of them.  We also used 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth.)
• 2-3 cups of water
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup whole milk  (we used 2% organic milk)
• 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Two 9-inch refrigerated foldable pie crusts
• 2 15-oz cans mixed vegetables (We used one small can mixed vegetables, one regular can diced new potatoes and half a can of diced asparagus)

What You’ll Do:

1. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees.
2. Make sure your adult helper is nearby. Put the chicken and enough water just to cover it in the medium post. Put the pot on the stove-top and turn on the heat to medium-high. When the water comes to a boil, cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let chicken cool for one hour. (NOTE: We used boneless, skinless, thin-sliced chicken breasts and boiled until done. We used a reduced sodium chicken broth in place of the broth that the original recipe called for.)
3. Using tongs, take chicken out of the pot and put it on the cutting board. Pull the meat from the bones and chop it into medium-size pieces. Throw away the skin, bones and fat. Save one cup of the broth to make your sauce. (See note above)
4. Put the butter in the small pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk it with the whisk until it is smooth. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and whisk until the sauce is thick. Add the milk and whisk until the sauce is bubbling. Whisk in salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.
5. To assemble the pie: Unfold one of the pie crusts and press it into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Spread the chicken over the bottom of the crust. Drain the vegetables (you can pour the water through your fingers into the sink). Spread the vegetables on top of the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables.
6. Place the top crust over the chicken. Trim the edge if it is too long. Pinch the edges of the crust together. Take a knife and make three slits in the crust.
7. Bake the pie for 40 minutes, until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling. Use oven mitts or hot pads to take it out of the oven. (You might have to ask your adult helper to do that for you.) Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before you take a big scoop.

Serves 6 to 8

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This recipe is not only easy and tasty, but also lends itself to creativity. You can use a variety of vegetables for the filling. You could also substitute turkey instead of chicken. The varieties are plentiful with this one.

I have to give this recipe high marks because not only was it easy for Macey and me to make together, but it was also delicious!! Mickey is a big fan of chicken pot pie and he absolutely raved over it too. Okay, part of it was because Macey cooked it, but it really was THAT good. Macey and I served this pot pie with a very simple side salad (lettuce, tomato and almond slivers) and it was a fantastic meal for our family. I took this picture of the finished pie with my phone, so that photo quality isn’t the greatest – sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, it turned out great and tasted even better. I love getting in the kitchen with my girls. This is a great way for them to learn and for us to build great memories. Sometimes I’ve been guilty of saying “oh, just let me do it…”, but, really, it’s so awesome to help them learn and watch their pride when it all comes together. That’s worth taking a little extra time for, if you ask me.

Kelly