Chicken Pot Pie

This is our second recipe for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge and it comes from Aida Mollenkamp. Frog Prince was asking for a pot pie, and while I do have a recipe from my mom, it relies on canned soup and Bisquick. When I first started on my cooking adventure, using those ingredients qualified as "from scratch", but I've since refined my definition (as any good scientist does) to more accurately reflect what happens in our kitchen.

Original photo (2009)

When I saw this recipe for a veggie pot pie, I bookmarked it. After reading the reviews, I knew that (1) I could make it with whole wheat flour, (2) I could omit/add/change a few ingredients and it would still be tasty. This is good because I didn't have any fennel, potato or mushroom broth! Where on earth do you find mushroom broth?!?!

The result: a pot pie that we'll be adding to our favorites list :)

Chicken Pot Pie - Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp

Ingredients

• 1 T butter
• 3 chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2/3 C chopped carrots
• 2 T minced onion
• 12 oz. mushrooms, sliced (about 5 C)
• 1/4 C flour (whole wheat is fine)
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 C milk
• 1 C peas (frozen), or mixed veggies
• 1 T chives, dried (or 1/4 C fresh)
• 1 tsp. parsley, dried (or 1/4 C fresh)
• Crescent roll dough {or, herby biscuits}

Directions
Begin by melting the 1 T butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Add in the chopped chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Cook until chicken is almost done, then add carrots, and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have shriveled.

Then, sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to coat, cooking an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, stirring as you add.

Add in milk, again stirring to create a smooth mixture. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens up.

Remove the dish from the heat. Add in the peas and herbs and stir well.

Pour the mix into a greased 8x8 inch glass baking dish (we doubled the recipe for a 9x13).

Then, cut apart the crescent roll dough and place it over the top.  Or, make a batch of herby biscuits and drop these over the top.  This is our favorite way to enjoy pot pie.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until browned and bubbly. Let dish stand 5 minutes before serving.

Original photo (2009)

This dinner is quick to make, easily expandable (i.e., add more veggies or veggies of a different variety), and warms up wonderfully for leftovers. It's a great way to clean out your fridge of leftovers too. The last time we made it we used some leftover potatoes, corn and carrots we had cooked up for another meal.

This recipe is also linked to URS: Quick Winter Dinners, Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Melt in Your Mouth Monday