Saturday 9/25 "Chicken Pot Pie"

Money Saving Meals with Sandra Lee

Ingredients
• 1 box pie crust
• 6 chicken breasts (about 3 lbs)
• 5 cups water
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots , sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions
Prepare the pie crust according to the package directions.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with 5 cups of water.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and add salt, to taste.
Simmer until the chicken is completely cooked through, skimming any fat that rises to the surface, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken, to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle remove the meat and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. (Reserve the broth the chicken was cooked in and about 2 lbs of the chicken).
In a medium pot heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, poultry seasoning, and thyme and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the reserved 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth, whisking to remove any lumps. Add the chicken and peas, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
Pour mixture into pie pan with prepared crust. Cover with second pie crust and cut 4 slits into the top. Bake about 30 minutes.

The verdict: This was really delicious. Everyone loved it, and the girls even helped me cook it. It was surprisingly easy and now I have extra chicken and broth for later in the week.