Chicken Pot Pie

Well, here you have it. The end result of making multiple chicken pot pies. Of course I'm not complaining that I have eaten chicken pot pie ten days out of the last month. It's such a forgiving recipe. You can switch it up, add, subtract, multiply and divide, gather your chicken from various sources, use up your leftovers, add some milk or cream, pile biscuits on top instead of a pastry crust, make individual pot pies in ramekins or accidentally drop half a bag of frozen peas in the pot. Incidentally, you might want to line the bottom of your oven with foil. (My oven is getting well acquainted with Easy Off at this very moment.) This recipe makes two pies - because you can never have too many chicken pot pies.

Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek (white and light green part), chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp dried savoury
Cracked pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, diced and cooked
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn

Pastry
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt 
1 cup cold butter
Cold water
1 beaten egg

1. Sauté onion, leek and carrot in oil for 10 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in flour and seasonings.
4. Add chicken stock and simmer until thickened.
5. Add potatoes, chicken, peas and corn.
6. Divide into two greased deep dish pie plates.
7. Put flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
8. Transfer to a bowl; add cold water a spoonful at a time until dough forms.
9. Divide in half and roll each piece slightly larger than the top of the pies. Arrange on the pies and brush with egg.
10. Bake at 400 F (200º C) for 15 minutes and then at 350 F (180º C) for 45 minutes.

Notes

• Cremini mushrooms are the brown mushrooms that sit next to the bulk white mushrooms at Superstore. They are the same price, but I think they have more flavour.
• I could write for hours on how to make a successful pie crust without swearing, but just google it if you don't know. Or invite me to lunch at your place and I'll show you. I used a butter crust because I don't like the taste of a lard or shortening crust. I'll warn you, it's a little harder to work with. If you're intimidated by pie crust, just buy a couple of frozen pie crusts. I won't judge you.
• The filling is quite runny when the pie is fresh out of the oven but it firms up if you let it sit. It stays warm for hours!
• This could easily turn into a beef pot pie, using leftover roast beef, beef stock instead of chicken stock and omitting the thyme and savoury.