Saturday, February 27, 2010

Chicken Pot Pie

I was tinkering around in the kitchen last night with some extra veggies I had which I needed to use up, and I came up with what may be the most perfect chicken pot pie recipe I've ever eaten.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups shredded chicken
2 large leeks finely chopped
3 carrots, shredded
3-4 pieces of celery finely chopped
1/2 stick butter
3 Tbsp. corn starch
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Double crust for a deep-dish pie (I just bought Pillsbury in the refrigerator section at the grocery store)
Red Wine Vinegar

Instructions:
Mix the leeks, celery, carrots, and butter in a large pan and sautee' with the butter. If you want to throwin in some peas or potatoes that would work as well, although I didn't have any on hand last night so I didn't include them.
When everything is cooked, whisk the corn starch with a small ammount of chicken broth to get rid of any lumps, and then add the mixture plus all of the additional chicken broth to the sauteed veggies. Simmer on low to medium heat until the whole thing thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of your pan.
Meanwhile, prepare a deep dish pie pan by spreading the bottom pie crust evenly in the pan.
In a large bowl, mix the thickened veggie/gravy mixture with the shredded chicken. Drizzle with Red Wine Vinegar to taste. I like the balance of the sour vinegar with the sweet veggies and chicken, and I think this is really what made the recipe stand out for me. I only added a quarter cup or less, but trust me, it works. Pour the finished filling into the pie crust, and cover with the top crust. Crimp the edges, trim the crust, cut a few vents to let out the steam, then brush with a mixture of 1 egg beaten with 3 tbsp. water (it makes your crust shiny and goldeny brown).
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until the crust looks flaky and golden.
Cool, serve, and enjoy
This was so good that we barely had any leftovers, and since the veggies were sliced up so small even my veggie-phobic 7 year old gulped his down. I had the rest for lunck today and I drizzled a little more vinegar over it. It was divine.

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