Homemade Chicken Pot pies

Remember  when I told you about my love for the Pioneer Woman? Well after tasting the masterpiece that the best friend made from one of her cookbooks, I knew that I had to give it a try. Homemade pot pies were the task at hand. I had tried to make them with the husband in the past, but did not have much luck. This time I chose to go solo and try making them all on my own. And delicious is putting it lightly. They turned out AAAHHHMAZING. I mean we are talking award winning. Marie Callender? Watch out honey, there is a new cook in town.

Excuse my lack of pictures after the baking process. I was busy stuffing my face. 

Ingredients needed:

3 celery stalks

3 carrots

1 sweet onion

4 tbsp butter

2 cups chicken diced or shredded

1/4 flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream (evaporated milk works great too)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese 

black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 

Begin by finely dicing the carrots, celery and onion. I used a Slap Chop as it saved some time and I didn't have to worry about cutting fingers! Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the vegetables and saute until they start to soften, just a few minutes. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly and cook for a couple of minutes while stirring gently. 

Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with pepper and let sit for 30 minutes. 

While the filling is cooling, get started on the homemade crust. 

Ingredients needed:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups Crisco (important to use this rather than butter)

2 eggs

5 tbs cold water

1 tbs white vinegar

1 tsp salt

Place the flour and Crisco into a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter (I used a potato masher as I didn't have a pastry cutter, you can also use a fork) to combine the two. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty if needed. Mix for 3-4 minutes or until most of the shortening is mixed into the flour. Beat one egg and pour it into the mixture. Add the water, vinegar and salt and combine until it forms a solid dough. 

Separate the dough into 4 equal parts. I used two pieces of wax paper sprinkled with flour to sandwich the dough before using my rolling pin. This made it a lot easier to roll out and place into my pie dish. Place dough into the pie dish and press firmly to make sure the entire surface and sides are covered. Pour half of the chicken filling into the pie dish. Place another piece of rolled out dough over the top and pinch sides to seal together. Beat the second egg and lightly spread all over the top of the dough. Oh and those cute little slits that I placed on top? I used the end of a spoon for those! 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

*As this recipe makes enough for two pies, feel free to freeze one before baking and make it at a later time.*

Happy cooking!

*Side note*- The Pioneer Woman has recently came out with a new cookbook that is over 400 pages and has amazing ideas for the holidays. She will be traveling the country to meet her fans and sing books. Click this link to see if she is coming to a town near you. (This was not a paid review)