Life has been such lately that I literally have to schedule time on my calendar to see MysteryMan, and since I have been failing on all other fronts as a girlfriend… I resorted to the one domestic chore I am actually good at. (Because you know it’s a cold day in hell when I willingly do laundry, or –god forbid–dust something.) So, hel-lo, chicken pot pie.

This was actually my first attempt at Chicken Pot Pie, which means I did what I usually do with “new” recipies… I googled 3-4 other Chicken Pot Pie recipes, looked at the general ingredients, and then threw them away and made up my own.

What I Used:

• 2 Pillsburry Pie-Crusts
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 can chicken stock
• 3/4 cup half & half
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• Pinch of nutmeg and basil
• Salt & Pepper
• Half a vidalia onion
• Half a red peper
• Garlic
• Half a bag of frozen soup vegetables

What I Did:

Step 1: Poachin’ Chickin’

It seemed like a lot of Chicked Pot Pie recipes started out with “XX lbs poached chicken” and I’m all… how the heck do you poach a chicken. So for everyone else out there like me for whom chicken = grill (not pot-of-water) this is how I poached my chicken.

I started with around 4 cups of water, a couple of glugs of cream sherry, some minced garlic, and a little salt, pepper, and basil, in a pot over high heat.

Once that mixture of goodness came to a boil, I turned the heat down to simmer and added the chicken.

I let the chicken simmer in the pot (making sure it was totally submerged) for 7 minutes… although I think it could have gone 10, because I like to use nice round numbers when cooking.

After the simmer, I took it off the heat, covered it tightly (with firm instructions NOT TO PEEK) and let it poach itself for the next 30 minutes.

I then went and folded some laundry, so yes, you should all check your thermometers.
 
Step 2: Veggie Delight

I cheated on the vegetables, and I don’t feel the least bit bad about it. I mostly thawed out my bag ‘o soup veggies in the microwave while cooking three vegetables that I will not stand for eating frozen (plus, they add more flavor this way.)

So the onion, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms got a little pan time…

And since I didn’t want the “good for you” vegetables to feel left out, I added them in the pan for a few minutes as well.

Then, they all got to hang out with eachother in a bowl off the stove while the filling/sauce was being prepared.

Step 3: Saucy

A sauce, is a sauce, is a sauce… but this is a damn fine one.

It started with 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup flour added to it once it was melted. Cooked until it was nice and bubbly.

Then the chicken stock and half & half were added, and continuous stirring commenced until the mixture started to thicken. (With occasional pauses for adding a pinch of nutmeg, some salt and pepper, and a little basil.)

And then, because I’m crazy like that, I threw in a big handfull of cheese. Because honestly I was already about cooking my body weight in butter and cream… so at this point a handful of cheese calories really became superfluous.

Step 4: It’s A Party In The Pan!

Once the sauce/filling mixture thickened up, I diced up the chicken…

And then added everything back into the pan…

Um. Yum. If you have a spoon you could probably just stop here and start eating. Or you could show a little self restraint and actually make a pie out of it.

Step 5: Like dessert, but dinner.

Then, about what you would expect to happen, happens.

With slits cut in the top and the oven preheated to 350, it’s ready to go.

I cooked it for about 40 minutes and then tried to let it cool for about ten while MysteryMan systematically ate away pieces of the crust of my masterpiece.

Step 6: Spoken through a full mouth, and with an exclamation point!

Normally when I cook something for MysteryMan I stare at his face for the first three bites and then start asking repeatedly “How is it?” “Do you like it?” “What do you think?” And even if my culinary genius is at it’s peak, MysteryMan responds with “It’s okay.” Which I consider high-praise.

So imagine my suprise when fully engrossed in my own slice of the pie MysteryMan stops eating, looks at me, and says “This is damn good.”

My eyebrows shot up so high I nearly fell of my chair.

Not that he was wrong. It’s possible that Chicken Pot Pie is just one of those recipes that no matter what you throw in the pot, you can’t mess up. But it’s also possible that I have just given you the recipe for the best Chicken Pot Pie ever to grace the face of this planet.

I mean, seriously…

Tags: chicken pot pie, comfort food, food, recipes