The BEST Chicken Pot Pie

Oh my heavens. This was comfort food at its finest. Both Lonnie and I really enjoyed this and thought it was delicious. I am positive that I will be making this again and again and again. I decided to double the recipe that I had and make 2 pot pies. One we ate tonight and one went in the freezer. I have a feeling it won't be long before the one in the freezer is brought back out. :) The following recipe is for TWO pot pies. So if you only want to make one, half it.

Oh, and side note - the card for our camera is broken, so I've been using my phone to take pictures. Sorry if they're not the best!


CHICKEN POT PIE
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cookbook)

Makes 2 pies

6 medium carrots
6 celery stalks
1 1/2 large onions
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. ground thyme
2 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
2 pie crusts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Finely dice the carrots, celery and onions.
Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.


Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.



Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Add in the bouillon cubes and stir. Watch the thickening magic happen.

Pour in the cream (yes, all of it) and stir. Allow to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Taste your creation! Add in anything it might need (more salt, pepper, etc.).




Pour the chicken mixture into two pie pans or small casserole dishes.



Put the crust on top of the pans and cut small slits in the top. Press the crust into the sides of the dish to seal. (I cheated here and used pre-made pie crusts. I hate making pie crust.) Here is where you can put one dish in the freezer (after covering it well, of course) and put the other in the oven.



Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Make sure to put foil under the pie pan to catch the filling that oozes over the sides. Put foil over edges of crust if it starts to brown too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Comfort Food

Tuna casserole was on the menu tonight - and it actually sounded really good. Yes, I used canned tuna and canned cream of mushroom soup. Yes, I used pre-shredded cheese and greasy potato chips and frozen peas. AND YES, it was yummy.

For me, there is something about adding cream of ____ soup to a dish that automatically qualifies it as "comfort food."

It seems that everyone has their own way of making tuna casserole. Mine is mostly based on the way my mom makes it, with a little of my own stuff in there.


Here's everything in the 9x13", ready to be mixed up. We have tuna, peas, cheese, cream of mushroom soup and pasta.


Potato chips on top. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't. I am so glad that I did today.


Almost forgot to take a picture of it with the cheese on top, but got one just as it went into the oven.


The finished product! The top is definitely the best part. The crunchy chips and the brown, crispy cheese - perfection.


TUNA CASSEROLE

16 oz. box of pasta
2 cans of tuna, drained
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 -1 cup frozen peas
2 cups shredded cheese (1 cup to mix in, 1 cup for the top)
1 cup crushed potato chips


Cook pasta according to box directions, drain. Add pasta, tuna, soup, milk, peas and 1 cup cheese in a casserole dish. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle crushed chips on top and then the remaining cheese. Bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!



AND....

Jack was a little tired tonight. I snapped this picture of him laying on the couch before dinner. He never just lays there, so I had to capture the moment. It's 6:30 pm and he's in bed right now!