Chicken Pot Pie

Tonight we made something so simple, yet so delicious, that I do believe it was one of our kitchen's finest hours.

Make no bones about it: this is a delicious pot pie. While the celery seed in the crust initially seems a little odd, and actually on its own the crust is a little salty and strong, it blends in with the filling for a beautifully flavorful finish. The ratio of crust to gravy is just perfect. We made it with half the meat of a rotisserie chicken (the other half went to chicken and noodles; more on that later) and our own blend of vegetables (since the original called for a scant 10 oz of frozen). Our only question at the end: why aren't more people doing this? From pie crust to finished product, the whole thing came together seamlessly and easily. When you consider what's in commercial pot pies (an excess of salt, hydrogenated oils, and MSG come to mind), yet also consider the fact that you can't deny how delicious they are (or at least could be), we feel like this is a staple that should be in everybody's repertoire.

Betty Crocker's Chicken Pot Pie
(my comments are in italics)

Filling:
1/3 cup margarine or butter or chicken fat (we used butter)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup onion, chopped (we just used a whole onion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cut-up
1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots or frozen mixed vegetables (we used instead: 3 fresh carrots, sliced; 1 stalk of celery, diced; 1 whole russet potato with skin on, diced; and 1 cup of frozen peas)

Pastry:
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening or lard (we used butter)
2 cups all-purpose flour (we used whole-wheat)
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons water

To make pastry:
Cut shortening into flour, celery seed and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into ball.

Directions for pot pie:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Heat margarine/butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
3. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

During this time I also lightly steamed the vegetables, since I wasn't using frozen; I would guess I probably steamed the potatoes 10-12 minutes, and the carrots and celery 5-8, until they were soft.

4. Stir in chicken and vegetables; reserve.
5. Roll 2/3 of pastry into 13-inch square on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Ease pastry into square pan, 9x9x2 inches; pour chicken filling into pastry-lined pan. Roll remaining dough into 11-inch square; place over filling. Roll edges under; flute. Cut slits in center to allow steam to escape. We actually rolled the crusts out round and made this in a 10" cast iron skillet, which worked like a dream.
6. Bake, uncovered, in 425 degrees F oven until crust is brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

You owe it to yourself to make this at least once this winter!