Friday, December 2, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust

My sweet girl Tori LOVES chicken pot pie...it is one of her top dinner requests! This pie not only tastes amazing, feeds a HUGE crew, but could not be any simpler to put together. The "Super Mom" shortcuts get dinner on the table fast(with out sacrificing taste or nutrition)! If you aren't feeding a crowd, divide the filling mixture into two 8x8" pans, top each with a crust and stick the extra one in the freezer for later.




For The Crust

2 Pilsbury Ready Made Pie Crusts (one box)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 tbsp half & half

For The Filling

1 Rotisserie Chicken, deboned and shredded*
3 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought is fine)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
6 stalks celery, chopped
5 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup diced carrots
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
small can sweet peas, drained
7 tbsp flour (white or wheat)
1/2 cup white wine
2/3 cup half & half
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add onions, celery, thyme, carrots, mushrooms and 1 tsp kosher salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir and cook until veg is softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour, stir to coat veg and cook 2 minutes more. Add wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock, half & half, poultry seasoning and garlic powder, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and peas. Stir, taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 13x9" baking pan. Set aside.

Roll both crusts out onto large cutting board (or clean countertop), overlapping in center. Using a rolling pin, roll crusts into a rectangle (roughly 15x11" in size). Fold in half and carefully lay crust over baking dish, unfold to cover filling. Press crust down to seal in filling and fold excess crust into baking dish. Pinch between thumb and finger to create edge. Brush crust with 1 tbsp half & half. Sprinkle with cheese and create 3-4 slits in crust with sharp knife. Bake pie 35 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

*You can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover roasted chicken or even that leftover holiday turkey.