Chicken Pot Pie

This chicken pot pie is stuffed full of chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce.  This recipe makes two pies, so you can have one for dinner, and have one another day, freeze it, or give one to a neighbour or friend as a delicious gift. 

My boys really love this pie. It fills them up and is a complete meal, and it's a hundred times better than any meat pie you'll find at the grocery store. If I'm feeling fancy, sometimes I will add a garden salad and/or a baguette on the side. 

I realized early on that it is important to ensure you do measure the amounts of vegetables because if you just guess and make too much, the pies will be overflowing and the tops won't stay sealed.

Ingredients

2 cups diced peeled potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
1 3/4 cups sliced and quartered carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 3 chicken breasts - see notes below)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cups frozen corn
2 boxes of Tenderflake ready-to-bake deep-dish pie shells

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place potatoes and carrots in a medium saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until tender-crisp.  Drain and set aside. 
3. In a large skillet, heat butter at medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until tender.  
4. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended.  Gradually stir in broth and milk. 
5. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook a further two minutes or until thickened.
6. Stir in peas, corn, carrots, potatoes and chicken, and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Place half of mixture into each pie crust. Wet edges of crust and top with second crust.
9. Seal edges with a fork, and cut slits in the top of pie for venting.
10. Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is light brown.  
11. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes  

• Raw chicken breast can be quickly prepared by boiling in water for 15-20 minutes until no longer pink. 
• A whole rotisserie chicken can be used, and that will make 3 cups, but I find it is a bit fiddly and time consuming for me as I loathe stripping the dark meat. 
• Sometimes I purchase a couple of already prepared "dinners" at the grocery store that include two chicken breasts and some macaroni or potato salad, for $5 (usually I pick them up when they also have a $1 off sticker on them), and then repurpose the salad, and chop up the chicken breasts. 
• Leftover chicken that has been tossed in the freezer works too. Just make sure you have 4 cups.