CHICKEN POT PIE

I made this quite a few times. Gabe, Polly, Mey, Richard really liked it. 



(Source: slightly adapted from Come Bless Us All, A Collection of Recipes by the Hugo & Elise Aho family-recipe from Lorna Holombo-from Lois)..


Ingredients:         Note to Self- cook everything below in large 

                               Dutch Oven. Makes it a lot easier.

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced   
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2/3 c. red chopped onion (I use a whole large red onion)
About 1 c. chopped celery 
2/3 c. butter ( 11 Tablespoons)
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt 
1 cup half and half
3 1/2 c. chicken broth ( homemade from my IP)
1 large tsp better then bouillon
3 chicken breasts cut and cooked (used leftover cooked chicken or you could sub turkey )


CRUST*: 
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. vegetable shortening (I use butter flavor Crisco)
4 Tbsp. or so cold water

*NOTE: I use refrigerated pie crust sheet

Boil or steam the carrots and potatoes until tender . Drain and set aside. 

 In a large saucepan melt the butter. Cook onion and celery until they’re starting to get tender. Add flour and salt. Stir until the flour is mixed into the butter/vegetables and there are no clumps of flour remaining. Cook the flour mixture until bubbly. Remove from heat- whisk in the milk, chicken broth and better then bouillon. Return to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the cooked chicken, carrots, potatoes .

Pour the mixture into a deep 13x9-inch casserole dish.  Spray dish first with nonstick cooking spray. 

For the crust, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in enough cold water to make a dough easy to roll. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's a little larger than the top of the casserole. Roll the dough lightly around the rolling pin and unroll it over the top of the pot pie filling. Fold the edge under and pretty it up. Cut a few small slits in the center of the dough. 

Place the casserole dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, making sure the pan is larger on all 4 sides than the casserole. The rimmed pan will catch any spills for the pot pie spilling over when cooking.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let sit about 10 minutes before serving.