20/365
We’re having a snow storm outside. We’ve gotten 3 or 4 inches in the past three hours. That’s a lot for Kentucky.
Since it’s snowy and blustery out, we needed something warming for supper. I decided to try to make chicken pot pie from scratch, partly because I’ve been wanting to try it and partly because we have all of the ingredients handy. I’m not about to drag the girls out in the snow to go buy groceries!
I’ve been pondering what would make a delicious homemade pot pie. I haven’t found a recipe that looked perfect, so I decided to take a risk and make my own.
The crust is actually baking powder biscuit dough, which is super easy to make. (I’ll post the recipe for that at the bottom.)
The whole thing took about 30 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to bake. Not bad!
It was incredibly delicious. Wow.
I plan to make another one and freeze it for a quick meal.
To make the filling you’ll need about…
-2 cups of chicken broth
-1/2 cup of milk
-1/2 cup flour
-3 or 4 chicken breasts
-olive oil
-several cups of chopped vegetables
-salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you’d like
I took three chicken breasts (not from the chicken pictured above, that’s our beloved pet Jasmine!) and I cooked them in my cast iron skillet with some olive oil. When they were defrosted enough, I chopped them up into bite sized pieces and added in 1/2 a chopped onion, some chopped carrots, and some frozen peas. I also added some frozen lima beans because Tyler likes them. (You could add any veggies you have on hand, that’s just what we had to use up.)
Next I added 1 cup of chicken broth to the pan. (I like the 365 chicken broth from Whole Foods.) I covered the pan and let that simmer on low heat for a little while so the chicken could fully cook and the veggies could get tender. They simmered for 10 minutes while I tended to the baby.
While they were simmering I put 1/2 cup of chicken broth in a tall glass measuring cup, then topped it off with (whole, unhomogenized) milk so it totaled about 1 and 1/2 cup of liquid. To that liquid I added about 1/4th cup of flour and whisked it in with a fork. Once the flour was dissolved I poured the mixture into the pan and stirred it in. Then I turned up the heat to bring it to a boil and kept stirring. I added in some salt and flour until it tasted good.
After it was boiling I turned it back down a little, covered it, and let it simmer some more while I made the dough for the top. (See recipe below.)
Once the dough was ready I made sure the gravy in the pan was thick enough–if not you can add more flour a little at a time and whisk it in with a fork.
Baking Powder Biscuits:
2 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons butter or lard
2/3 cup milk (plus extra, sometimes)
Sift together dry ingredients. (Sifting is important for fluffy biscuits!)
Chop in butter until it becomes pea sized. (For extra fluff I add a little more butter.)
Quickly and gently stir in the milk with a fork. Use your fingers to gently knead until everything is barely combined. (Over stirring causes the biscuits to be hard and not fluffy.) It’s ok if it’s a little lumpy. (I find I have to add a splash more of milk to incorporate all of the flour.)
For pot pie crust:
On a floured surfaced, roll out biscuit dough to 1/2 inch thick.
Cut into long strips. Lay them bottom side up on top of the pie filling. Leave small gaps for ventilation. (Laying them bottom side up is supposed to make the biscuit dough able to rise more. Don’t know why, but I swear it works.)
Bake the pot pie at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until biscuit topping is browned a bit.
Then let it cool, and eat it until you’re about to bust.
Amen.
Perfect meal for a blizzardy night!
Off topic, I must share this picture from yesterday.
19/365
Granny and Paul enjoying Ada.
My girls are blessed to be loved by so many.
Tags: food, photos, Rosie, urban homesteading
