Chicken pot pie

While cooking is not my favorite thing to do, I do enjoy making a few dishes. One of my favorites ever is chicken pot pie. At least once a month, I'll set aside a Saturday morning to make enough for the whole week and a few more to save in the freezer. While I've adjusted the recipe from my mom's original (it still doesn't come near hers), the idea is basically the same:

Ingredients

Crust

• 3 cups of flour
• 2 tablets of butter
• 1 egg yolk

Filling

• 2 chicken breasts
• juice from 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• half an onion
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 can of peas
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of carrots
• 1/3 of a bunch of cilantro
• 1/2 of a yellow pepper
• 1/2 of an orange pepper
• 4 handfuls of spinach, boiled beforehand
• olives

Directions:

1. For the crust, the best way to mix it all together is with a mixer. If you have a powerful mixer like the KitchenAid mixer then the crust will be ready in a few minutes. If not, get ready for a workout.
2. The warmth of your hands will melt the butter enough that you're able to knead it all together.
3. If after about 10 minutes it's still too flaky, add 1/8 of a tablet of butter. If it's too sticky, add about 1/8 of a cup of flour. You can always double the recipe or just add little bits of each ingredient to increase the amount of crust you're making.
4. Once it's all mixed together, split the mixture into thirds, making sure to set 1/3 aside to have enough for the top.
5. Use your fingers to create a layer in a glass container, about 1/8 of an inch thick (you should not be able to see through the crust to the bottom of the container).
6. Set aside and start working on your filling.

Filling

Like I had said, I've changed the recipe a bit from the original I got from my mom. Because I've been trying to improve my intake of veggies, I add a few in here, so it makes a lot more of the filling than I'll end up needing for the pot pies. The good thing about this is that I can set it aside and use it for another recipe at a later date.

I start with the chicken breasts.

1. Mix in the garlic and salt with the orange juice. Place the chicken breasts in the mixture and move them around to ensure they're well coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes marinating.
2. After marinating, very lightly coat a pan with oil. On high heat, place the chicken breasts in the pan so that each one is touching the bottom of the pan (you can do this in multiple steps if not all the chicken breasts fit at the same time).
3. Let each side of the chicken breast sear for about 4 minutes, then turn it over. It won't cook through, we'll do that later.
4. Once all chicken breasts have gone through the pan, use the same pan to cook the chicken breasts. Place all of them in the pan and add enough water to cover the majority of them.
5. Bring this mixture to a boil and leave it for 10 minutes. This will cook them through without burning the outside.
6. Once they've cooled off, take your desired quantity for the filling and shred it. For the left overs, make sure to save it in an airtight container with the water.

Now, to make the filling:

1. In a pan, combine 1 teaspoon of oil and half an onion, chopped. Let it cook until the onions are a bit see through, but not enough for them to burn.
   
2. Next, add the 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of milk to the mix. Use a whisker to get rid of clumps.
   
3. Once well mixed, add the veggies and shredded chicken breast. Let it cook for a few minutes while mixing. Try to get rid of as much water as possible.
   
4. Scoop the filling into the containers with the crust. Leave about an inch of crust up the sides to have enough room to connect the top of the crust to the sides.
   
5. Let the filling cool for about 10 minutes before adding the top crust.
   
6. Roll out the remaining mixture for the crust and place it on top of the filling. This should be thinner than the crust around the sides. Use your fingers to connect the ends of the top to the sides.
   
7. Mix half a teaspoon of oil and 1 egg yolk. Use a brush to lightly coat the top of the pot pie. This will give it a crunchier and more toasted look out of the over.
   
8. Place the chicken pot pies in the oven at 350° for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

At this point you should have a lot of leftovers from the filling and some chicken breasts you may have prepared as well. I place these in an airtight container and save them for a future recipe in the freezer.

In addition, as you can see, the filling can contain pretty much anything you like. I've made this a number of different ways, depending on what I have handy at home. So feel free to explore different options and enjoy!