Ozark Chicken Pot Pie

Over this past weekend I took some time to catch up on some much needed chores around the house: cleaning, re-arranging the closets, washing the windows and trying my hand at making my own chicken pot pie.

Saturday afternoon while my husband was fishing at Lake Ozark I decided that for dinner I would try making my own chicken pot pie. Now I’ve cooked many pot pies before, but I’ve never really attempted to make my own recipe from scratch before.

I dug out one of my Paula Deen magazines because I had remembered seeing a crust recipe that I thought would be perfect for a pot pie in the last issue. Plus, the dough was made with a food processor, so this would give me the chance to use the new Kitchen Aid Food Processor I got for Christmas.

Next, I decided I would make a large pot pie, a casserole sized one so we could have dinner and lunch for a couple of days.

I began pulling out my ingredients, casserole dish, pots and pans and utensils.

I made the crust and was letting it chill in the fridge and by then the chicken and the potatoes were done. I chopped up the chicken and drained the potatoes and pulled out a couple of cans of mixed veggies. Now, this is where things went down hill fast.

I was at the sink opening the cans with my piece of junk can opener and it happened. I knew that someday it would happen, but it finally happened. My can opener doesn’t make very good clean cuts and leaves can lids very messy and hairy. I was trying to pop open the lid that was stuck in the can and I sliced the entire palm of my hand open.

It was my own fault, I shouldn’t have been trying to dig out the lid with my hand, but I was. I ran to the bathroom and all I could find was small band aids. About 12 band aids later I finally went back to cooking my pot pie. It was not easy finishing everything up with a damaged hand….have you ever tried rolling out pastry dough with a bandaged hand? It’s not very easy. But I finally got the casserole in the oven and baked.

On a side note: Later that day I went to Lowe’s to use a gift certificate I received for Christmas. I bought a brand-spanking new Kitchen Aid Can Opener and it works great!
Don’t be afraid to adjust this recipe to suit your own family’s tastes. A recipe is just guidelines, not rules you must follow. Be adventurous with your recipes and try new ingredients.

Ozark Chicken Pot Pie
By Lane

2 cups peeled red potatoes cut about ¼ of an inch
2 cans of mixed veggies
3/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
½ all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
½ teaspoon poultry seasonings
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 crust (recipe follows)
1 large egg, beaten

Grease a 3 quart baking dish.

Boil potatoes over heat for 5-6 minutes, drain and add drained canned vegetables to pot.

Melt butter in a very large saucepan. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes, stir in flour and all seasonings and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in broth and cream and cook for 7 minutes. Stir in chicken and vegetables and cook for 18 minutes.

Pour into casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a floured surface roll out the pastry crust to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into ½ inch strips. Arrange crust in lattice design over the filling, trim strips even with the dish. Brush crust with beaten egg.

Bake 28 minutes. The casserole will be done when it is golden brown.

Flaky Pastry Crust
By Paula Deen
I love using this crust for the pot pie…very flaky. If you don’t have a food processor you’ll have to do everything by hand though.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold vegetable shortening, diced
¼ cup cold butter, diced
¼ cup cold water

In a food processor add flour and salt, pulsing to combine. Add shortening and butter, pulse until mixture resembles corn meal. With the processor running, add cold water through the chute, processing until combined. Press mixture gently into a 4 inch disc; cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.