Winter Best Food

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

One bite of this delicious chicken pot pie, and you will understand why families insist on the homemade version.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-lb.) broiler fryer
• 2 qts. water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 2-in. pieces
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (16-oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
• 1 (9-in.) refrigerated piecrust

Directions

Cook chicken:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven; discard vegetables and bay leaf. Let chicken cool; skin, bone, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook vegetables:

With a large spoon, skim fat (oily liquid) from surface of broth reserved in Dutch oven; bring broth to a boil. Add frozen vegetables and potatoes; return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetables from broth, and set aside. Measure 3 cups broth; set aside. Reserve remaining broth for other uses.

Make sauce:

Melt butter in Dutch oven over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 3 cups broth and milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in 11/2 teaspoons salt, 11/4 teaspoons pepper, and thyme. Add vegetables, chicken, and hard-cooked eggs; stir gently. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking dish; set aside.

Build and bake pot pie:

Roll out piecrust on a lightly floured surface into a 15- x 11-inch rectangle (piecrust will be very thin). Place over chicken mixture; crimp edges, pressing against sides of baking dish. Cut slits in top for steam to escape; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.