Chicken Pot Pie

Did you ever watch the TV show Just Shoot Me? Whenever I think of chicken pot pie, I can't help but sing it in my head, like David Cross. It also makes me think of William Hickey when he was on Wings but I can't figure out why.

I've never made a chicken pot pie from scratch before. We used to have those pre-made frozen ones from the grocery store. I hated them as a kid. But I got a little nostalgic for them in college and had them every once in a while.

I made this on Sunday. I didn't really have a recipe, I just kinda winged it. I intended to have leftovers that would get us through until Thanksgiving. Then we invited my in-laws to join us for dinner. I figured at least I'd have something to take for lunch this week. Well, the chicken pot pie was gone by yesterday's lunch. I underestimated its appeal. I think my husband would have eaten the whole thing by himself.

This was really good. I dug in for seconds just because I was afraid there wouldn't be any left to enjoy. Then Monday, by the time lunch rolled around, I was so ready to dig into the pot pie. There wasn't really much pie crust left, but it was still very tasty.

Chicken Pot Pie
1Tbsp and 2 tsp oil,  3 cent
1 pre-made pie crust $1
Chicken from a leg quarter, cooked and cut up 75 cents
1 cup chicken stock free
1/2 leek, chopped 50 cents
2 carrots, chopped I dunno, 30 cents?
2 stalks celery, chopped 8 cents
1/2 pound green beans, bite-size pieces 50 cents
1 cup frozen peas, thawed, 42 cents
2 cloves garlic, minced 10 cents
chicken gravy this cost, like maybe 12 cents?
1/2 egg, beaten, 4 cents

So here's what I did. First, I heated up 1 tablespoon of oil. I had 3 leg quarters that I pulled the skin and most of the visible fat off and I browned (both sides) it in the oil. Then I threw in the chicken stock and let the chicken cook until it was done.

Meanwhile, I cooked the celery, onion, carrots and garlic in the 2 teaspoons of oil. Also I thawed out the peas (and green beans).

When the chicken was done, I took it out of the pan. I threw in some chicken gravy I had made earlier. We didn't eat much of it, so I put it in the freezer. Basically, chicken gravy is just the oil/fat/broth that the chicken was cooked in, plus whatever you want to season it with (Mine had salt, pepper, and marjoram.), plus some milk mixed with some cornstarch. I used powdered milk in my chicken gravy. Keep stirring it until it thickens.

While the gravy was cooking, I pulled the meat off the leg quarters. I cut it all up. I kept the meat from one quarter for the pot pie and put the other meat in two zipper bags in the freezer. (This is a pretty great meal helper. On the way home today, I stopped off at the grocery store and bought enchilada sauce and green chilies. I knew I had everything else to mix up some chicken enchiladas quickly because of the freezer chicken.)

Then mix up all the stuff and put it in a round 2 1/2 quart dish. Put the pie crust on top, brush it with the egg to make it shiny. (Yeah, I saved the other half of the egg for a breakfast sandwich. I can't believe you couldn't figure that out. It's like you don't even know me!)

Then bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Total: $3.84
This is probably about six to eight servings. 64 cents

And you know what the best part is? Making people sing this all day. 
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Breakfast: Oatmeal and orange marmalade with clementines 60 cents
Snack: Banana 11 cents
Lunch: Miner's Casserole  54 cents
Snack: Granola Bar 21 cents
Pre-Dinner Dinner: Celery and Cream Cheese-Tapenade 43 cents
Dinner: Chicken Enchilada 99 cents

Total: $2.88