Chicken Pot Pie

I grew up eating frozen chicken pot pies (I cooked them first, though.)  This pie is nice, without a bottom crust, and you can share the calories with someone you love.
I previously blogged that ain't nobody got time to make homemade pie crust.  But PW has a couple recipes for pie crust, and I was determined to do it.  This one was very easy.  With stock in shortening, you'll have an easy go-to pie crust (chuck the other one in the freezer.  Then when you want to be lazy, you can just use that one.  I call it "Multi-Tasking for the Suzy Homemaker that Would Rather Be Watching Mad Men...or Downton Abbey...or The Walking Dead.")

As for the filling, I bought a rotisserie chicken to use.  Don't bother getting the hot ones...Hannaford sells them cold in the deli section...and depending on the time of day, they can have a $1 off coupon attached.  $4.99 for a whole cooked chicken is a sweet deal.

Ok, here we go:

PW's Perfect Pie Crust and Chicken Pot Pie (original recipe found here and on page 126 in her first cookbook)

Crust:
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
5 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  With a pastry cutter, gradually work the shortening into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add cold water and white vinegar. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
(You can cut the dough into half or into thirds, depending on how thick or thin you'd like your crust.  I cut mine in half.)  Put the crust into the freezer until ready to use.
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Pie Filling:
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 large onion
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c frozen peas
2 c. cooked chicken
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth
1 chicken bullion cube
1/4 c. white wine (optional. I left it out.  I know, can you believe it??)
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
Pepper, to taste

Chop the celery, carrots, and onion into small pieces (a fine dice) and add them, plus the peas, to a large pot or Dutch oven which has the butter melted in it.  Saute until the veggies start to turn translucent.
Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour over the pot and stir to combine.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Stir in the bullion cube and wine (if using.)  Pour in the cream and stir to combine.  Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, for about 4 minutes.  Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
Pour filling into pie plate (I had a small tupperware container of filling mix leftover that wouldn't fit...Andrew took it the next day for lunch.  Who needs crust??)  Place crust over filling and crimp edges, or leave rustic.  However you want it to look.  Cook in a 400 oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly (in a preemptive stroke of genius, I put a cookie sheet under the pie plate.  Was that filling bubbly!!)

I chose "rustic" crust...

Let the pie sit for 10 minutes or so, then dig in!

Milk as a side dish is completely mandatory