Weeknight Chicken Pot Pie
If I had a private chef I would never turn down a chicken pot pie for dinner. Since I happen to be the private chef in this house, chicken pot pie rarely makes a weeknight appearance. We were ok with this arrangement, but then the kids and I read “DW The Picky Eater” in our giant storybook collection. She is the pickiest of eaters, even to the point of being banned from family celebrations out! She finally begs and pleads to be included in her grandmother’s birthday dinner, promising she’ll try, just try, to expand her palate. After perusing the menu she picks the pot pie for dinner, concluding that it will at least be devoid of spinach. She ends up devouring her meal, cheered on by her family! The mother asks for the recipe and is told that it’s mostly just cooked spinach tucked into a pie crust and baked. End scene. HA! Of course, my kids needed to try this pot pie, so cobbled together a recipe that we could get on the table with minimal work and now, pie for dinner is a not so rare occurrence, with or without spinach.
Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
leaves from a handful of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
a generous amount of fresh pepper
¼ cup of flour
3 cups bone broth
1 cup whole milk or half and half
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
meat from one rotisserie chicken, shredded
3 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
Topped with one batch of Yogurt Pie Crust
Directions:
In a large, oven proof skillet (I use my low dutch oven here), melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme. Stir and cook slowly, until just starting to turn golden and fragrant. Put the salt and pepper over and stir to mix through. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir again. Let it cook for another few minutes. This will help to take the “raw” flavor out of the flour. Pour the broth over and give it a good stir. Bring it to a simmer and let it gently bubble, giving it a little stir every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t burn. You’ll see it magically thicken, you’re making gravy! When it coats the spoon well, pour in the milk and vinegar and stir again. Stir through the shredded chicken and chopped spinach. Turn the heat off. Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle! This is rustic pot pie! Fold the dough in half and then half again and transfer to the top of the chicken mixture, unfolding to cover and crimping the edges to the sides. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Enjoy!
