Easy Chicken Pot Pie (w/crust)

My cooking class at my homeschool co-op made the classic comfort food chicken pot pie this week (the kind with the crust on top). There are obviously many ways to prepare this. I tried to keep this simple yet as much "from scratch" cooking as I could in the time we had. Since I have several gluten free families, we did "cheat" and use a prepared gluten free crust but at the end of this recipe, I am including my homemade melt-in-your-mouth buttery crust. To save on some time (& calories), I only use a crust on top of my pot pie and skip putting one on the bottom.

Filling:

2 cups of chicken broth (or use water & granulated chicken base)

2 carrots peeled & diced

2 ribs of celery diced

1 small onion diced

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups of veggies (this could be a combo of corn, peas, green beans etc)

4 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup of heavy whipping cream, half'n'half, etc or use milk & add 2-3 Tbsp cream cheese

1/2tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp thyme

1 lb cooked boneless skinless chicken shredded or diced

salt & pepper to taste

Crust:

1 1/3 c flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter cut into pieces

4-8 Tbsp cold water

If you have a dough mixer with your food processor, add everything except water & pulse to mix until pea size then slowly add water till it achieves a good dough consistency. If you don't have this ability, cut butter into above ingredients (except water). Once blended, then add water. Wrap dough in saran wrap & chill at least 30 min. Roll out to fit the shape of your pan & place on top of chicken pot pit. Remember to vent it (be creative & cut a small design! I did a little heart above lol)

In a sauce pan, saute onion, celery & carrots for a few minutes. Mix broth & cornstarch & pour over veggies. Let them soften & the broth thicken. Add the rest of the veggies, then add the milk/cream mix and the rest of the seasonings. Add the chicken to the mix & once thickened to desired consistency, pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Place crust on top & make sure to vent. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbling on the sides & crust nice & browned. If crust browns too fast, just cover with foil. Also, if filling is close to the top, place baking dish on a cookie sheet in case it boils over.

Printable recipe for Chicken Pot Pie