1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-n-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
Saute onion, celery & carrots in melted butter 10 minutes. Add flour, stirring well. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Combine broth & half-n-half & gradually stir into veggie mixture. Cook over medium heat until thick & bubbly. Remove from heat & stir in salt, pepper & chicken. Pour into shallow 2-quart casserole. Top with pastry, cut slits in top to allow steam to escape. Bake 400 degree Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
Pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 - 3 tablespoons cold water
Combine flour & salt, cut in shortening. Sprinkle with cold water; stir with fork until all dry ingredients are moistened. Chill. Roll to fit casserole dish.
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| THE Chicken Pot Pie |
Caveats/Suggestions:
- I use boxed or canned chicken broth, but I bet it would be even better with a carefully-wrought homemade broth. Just the water from boiling the chicken isn't rich enough.
- You may need more broth & half-n-half than is called for in the recipe.
- I chop my veggies pretty small.
- I use a regular 9" X 13" glass/Pyrex casserole dish.
- Since I don't make pastry regularly, I'm no star at rolling it out, so I make 1 & 1/2 times the pastry recipe. And it's always good. I think the pastry is one of the secrets to this great pie.
- Yes, the pastry recipe calls for shortening & that's all I've ever used. I don't make this so often that 1/3 cup of shortening a couple times a year is going to kill us. Anyone figures out a suitable alternative, I'll be glad to hear about it. (Hmmm, I think I did actually buy some LARD recently.......)
- The main trick is cooking until "thick & bubbly." How do you know? I approach my late, great mom on this one and only cooking trick. I just know. If you cook the sauce too long, the pie is a little dry. Next time, you'll know too!
