I used to make Chicken Pot Pie quite often when Paul and I were living in England, but once Paul started cooking more, I stopped. Well that all changed yesterday, when I spent hours in the kitchen making dough and filling for Chicken Pot Pie...and let me just tell you, I was very pleased with myself ;)

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE PIE CRUST:

· 2 1/2 cups flour

· 1 tbsp sugar

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1 cup cold unsalted butter - cut into cubes

· 1/2 cup cold whole milk

· 1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash

FOR THE FILLING:

· 1/4 cup unsalted butter

· 1/3 cup diced onion

· 1 1/2-2 medium carrots sliced (about 3/4-1 cup)

· 1 bunch of broccolini (about 1 cup)

· 1 Russet potato chopped

· 1 sweet potato or yam chopped

· 2 cloves garlic minced

· 1/3 cup flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

· 1 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley

· 2 teaspoons salt

· 1 teaspoon black pepper

· 1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth

· 1/2 cup heavy cream

· 2-3 chicken breasts shredded

· 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

· ½ teaspoon white pepper

1. First, make the pie crust. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in an electric mixer. Add the cubed butter and pulse. Continue pulsing until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour mixture, resembling sand or pea size pieces. Place the flour mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the butter.

2. While your butter is in the freezer, boil your chicken and potatoes in water for 10 minutes. Your potatoes & chicken shouldn't be completely cooked since they will be cooked further in the oven. Once they are done, strain and let your chicken cool before shredding. Shred your chicken and set aside with the potatoes.

3. Remove your flour mixture from freezer and add your milk. Pulse until it comes together. If the mixture is too dry, add water, a tbsp at a time. Divide the dough in two and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge while you make the filling (at least one hour).

4. To make the filling, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, broccolini, and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the flour, salt, garlic salt, black pepper, white pepper, thyme, parsley, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Whisk until there are no flour lumps and then simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken and potatoes. Remove from heat and set aside while you roll out the pie dough.

5. Preheat oven to 400°F.

6. Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a circle large enough to fit inside your pan or ceramic dish. Tip: your dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to your pie pan. Pat with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Trim the extra overhang of dough with a knife and discard. Fill pie with filling. Roll out the second disk of dough and carefully cover the pie (or make any design your heart desires, like circles). Make sure to use your egg wash to seal the bottom pie crust to the top and around the edges. Trim the extra overhang off the sides if there are any. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork or your fingers, if necessary. With a sharp knife, slice a few small slits in the center of the top crust. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust and edges with the rest of your egg wash.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool for 20-30 minutes and then cut into slices and serve. Note: save for leftovers or cool completely and freeze for up to 1 month.

Enjoy!

-Halee