Before we started Operation Less Meat in my house, we’d have this pot pie for dinner all. the. time. It was one of the first things I made in my very first NYC apartment decades ago, and I basically just never stopped. I keep trying to make it more vegetable forward, as they say, but I just haven’t landed on something yet that I really love as much as my old standby. So here you go, pot pie in all its original chicken-y glory. (Note: this only calls for one 9-inch crust to cover the filling; I find it’s rich enough to skip the bottom crust.)
1 cup chicken broth
1 large potato (red Yukon Gold potato), peeled and diced (the photo above shows sweet potatoes, but I don’t really use them in this anymore)
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1⁄2 medium onion, chopped
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄2 cup milk (any kind)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded with two forks
1/3 cup frozen peas
1 store-bought 9-inch pie crust
1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the potato, carrot, onion, thyme, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
While the vegetables are simmering, in a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour. Once veggies are soft, slowly add the flour–milk mixture, stirring until the filling has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken and peas.
Add the pot pie filling to a 9-inch pie plate. Cover with the pie crust and cut a few slits on the top to allow the steam to escape while baking. Using a pastry brush, paint with the egg wash, which will result in a nice golden sheen.
Bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes, until filling looks bubbly inside.
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