THE BEST Chicken Pot Pie

I made this for supper tonight.  I also made an extra for my freezer, one for my sister, and one for a lady at church.  It's such a great recipe with tons of flavor! 

*I buy my pie crusts for this because it sort of takes a while to chop all the veggies and stuff, and I really despise making pie crusts (probably because I'm not that good at it yet).

*I add a little extra flour (1/2 c. or so), then an extra cup or two of liquid to stretch the creamy mixture further.

*Then, I add a lot more veggies and chicken.  Like what I made today: I baked 1 whole chicken, then took the meat off, 4-5 c. diced potatoes, 12 carrots, 1/2 big bunch celery, a bag of peas, 4 c. corn, an onion. 

Do whatever works for you, but this recipe is great and since it kind of takes a while, I like to make it worth my time.

By the way, food always tastes better when you have great help.  (In my case, a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old putting all the veggies in the pot, helping put the pie crust on at the end - they're so helpful.)

Who doesn't love pulling supper out of the freezer and not getting the kitchen all dirty?

If you don't love it, you're weird.

Just kidding...but seriously, try it!

And, enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie for Freezing

• 12-16 Servings
• Prep: 40 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup butter, cubed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• Pastry for two double-crust pies (9 inches)

Directions

• Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
• Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim pastry even with edge. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.
• Bake one potpie at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

To Use Frozen Pot Pie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Yield: 2 potpies (6-8 servings each).