Chicken-scented Memories

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Mom's chicken pot pie! It is easily my most favorite meal and one I asked for constantly as a kid. I love the smell of it as it's cooking and the leftovers are *almost* as good as the first time around. We always got to request our favorite meal for our birthdays and Mom almost never had to ask what mine would be. When I got married, we made sure that she passed the recipe down to us since my husband loves this dish almost as much as I do!

Since then, I have shared this wonderful treasure with several friends, whether taking them a meal to celebrate a new baby or inviting them over for dinner. For me, it's just one of those things that is made even better when shared with friends. And in that way, many more people have been introduced to the wonderfulness that is my Mom's chicken pot pie.

Of course, that leads to multiple requests for the recipe :) So instead of always typing it up/writing it down...I've decided to post it here! (With Mom's blessings, of course!) :)

Mom's Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury Pie crusts (I've tried store brand crusts but they never seem to turn out as good)
1 16ox package of frozen mixed veggies (preferably microwaveable steamer bag)
1 large can of chicken breast meat
1 small can of cream of chicken soup
3-4 medium sized red potatoes
black pepper, seasoning salt, and onion flakes to taste


Wash and cut potatoes into even-sized cubes. Steam potatoes until just able to be pierced with fork.
Partially steam frozen mixed veggies (if microwaveable, I usually put them in for about 2/3rds of the stated time)
In a large mixing bowl, mix soup, spices, and liquid from can of chicken meat.
Cut canned chicken into smaller pieces and add to mixing bowl.
Add veggies and potatoes and mix thoroughly.
(Side note: I usually have the potatoes going while I'm mixing stuff together and then throw the veggies in the microwave just before I'm ready to add them. I try to overlap tasks as much as possible to save some time.)

Spray pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 375*
Place one crust in the bottom of pie plate and fill with pie filling.
Place 2nd crust on top (if you use a cookie cutter to create vents, cut out the shapes before placing crust. If just cutting slits, can be down after crust is on.)
Crimp edges of two pie crusts together.

Cover with foil and place on cookie sheet to catch any spills.
Bake at 375* for one hour (I rotate halfway through for even cooking).
Remove foil and continue baking for another 30-45 minutes until crust reaches desired brownness.
then...ENJOY!

And here's a trick I learned from my mom about the pie crusts. Sometimes, the bottom crust isn't quite big enough and the top crust is too big and crimping becomes difficult. So after you put down the bottom crust, unroll and fold the top crust gently into fourths and trim some of the dough off of the curved edge. This excess dough can then be used to extend the bottom crust by pressing the two together (sometimes with a little water as glue).

I've also been asked where I got the small cookie cutters I use to decorate my crusts. I can't take any credit for them :) Mom gave them to me for my first married Christmas as a stocking stuffer. She found them at Michaels in the cake decorating section (for using with fondant). It's special touches like this that upped the awesomeness of Mom's chicken pot pies!

Enjoy the tastiness! :)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan