Chicken Pot Pie

Conor requested we have chicken pot pie for dinner - he said we could even buy a store bought one. Obviously I wanted to try and make it instead! I googled a lot of recipes and a lot were very similar... and a little boring! I called my sister on the way to the grocery store to discuss what I found and how I couldn't believe they didn't have certain ingredients (read garlic, thyme) so she started poking around the web for recipes. She found a Jamie Oliver recipe that was definitely in the right direction so I adapted it. It was VERY good. Conor ate his first helping in about 2.5 seconds and then happily went for seconds. I will admit, it takes quite some time to make so it is definitely a Sunday meal or if you've got a lot of time!


Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced its 1/2 inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled cut into half moons or quarters
3 sticks of celery, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
2 1/2 tbs all purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine (i.e., pinot grigio)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/4 cups milk
salt and pepper
2 pre-made pie crusts (tenderflakes brand was great)
1 egg

In a large pot over medium heat, add in olive oil and butter. Add chicken and cook for a minute or two getting it some color. Add leeks, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme. Cook slowly for 15 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add flour. Stir and cook for a minute. Add wine, chicken stock, and milk. Mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and then cover with a tight fitting lid to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes stirring often (every few minutes or so) to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pot. At the end of the 30 minutes, the sauce will be loose but relatively thick - if not, you can add more flour. Make sure to stir well to avoid clumps. I did not have to add any additional flour. Season with salt and pepper. When ready, remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 425.

When there is about 15 minutes left for the filling, remove both pie shells from the freezer. They take about 10-15 minutes to defrost. Put the first shell on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove shell and add the filling. I piled more filling in the centre - be careful not to overflow. I did have a little bit of filling left over that I did not use. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg. Using a cooking brush, brush around the edge of the pie. Remove the remaining pie crust gently from the aluminum container and cover the shell with the filling in it. Using a fork, gently press the edge of the dough together. Brush the egg wash again around the outside and a little over top. Using a knife, create 3 small slits on the top of the pie to allow for steam to escape. Bake for 35 minutes, until golden on top.

Enjoy!