Happy Birthday Chicki and Chicken Pot Pie

Hi Everyone!  Last night we celebrated my sister Chicki's birthday.  Here she is:

I know, she is a gorgeous blond and this little beauty requested chicken pot pie for her birthday dinner so I thought I would share my broth based chicken pot pie recipe with you.  This dish will feed many mouths.  We had a total of 14 people (adults and kids) and this dish was enough for everyone with a little left over.  It's simple, but a little time consuming.  I think it's worth cutting up all the veggies for a real home cooked taste and treat that I don't make very often.  I prefer the broth base to cream for better flavor and its healthier without all the cream.

Here is what you need:

-2 large carrots, diced
-3 stalks celery, diced
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1/2 box of mushrooms (about 6 mushrooms) finely chopped
-1 TBSP olive oil
-3 cloves of garlic; minced
-1 large potato; diced
-4 C. chicken broth/stock
-1 C. water
-2 tsp. better than bouillon chicken base (or 2 cubes of regular chicken bouillon) ((this step is optional; makes it a little richer when using stock))
-3 C. shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the store to save time)
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tsp. dried parsley
-1/2 C. half n half
-2 TBSP flour

Crust:
2 C. flour
1 tsp.salt
1/3 C. canola oil
6-8 TBSP ice water

For the pot pie filling: saute carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms for 6-8 minutes in olive oil in a large pot.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and parsley.

When veggies start to brown add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Immediately add 1 C. of water to pan to loosen all the brown bits from the bottom and keep the garlic from burning.  Next add potato, chicken broth, better than bouillon, and chicken.  Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  At this point, try the mixture and season with more salt if needed.  Next, mix half and half in a small bowl with flour.  Once well mixed, add to chicken mixture to thicken the broth (about 2 minutes).

Empty entire contents into a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish and top with crust.

For Crust:
This crust is very similar to one I found on For The Love Of Cooking Check out this link for her crust that is on a beef pot pie (one of my favorites).

For the crust, mix flour and salt well together with a wisk.  Next add canola oil and mix with a fork until mixture resembles small peas.  Then add ice water 1 TBSP at a time until crust comes together and forms a dough.  Put the dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll out into a rectangle to cover the 9 x 13 dish.  Once the crust is on the pot pie filling, cut small slits in top of the crust for the filling to bubble over.

(tip: after cutting the excess of the crust off the casserole dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for about 15 minutes for a delicious "pre-dinner" treat.)

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  Check the casserole periodically to make sure the crust isn't burning.

Dish out and enjoy!

Love you Chicki and I hope you enjoyed your birthday dinner!

Many blessings to all of you - Home Centered Girl.