Rubber Chicken: Day 3

Tonight was chicken pot pie night. I've always thought I didn't like chicken pot pie. My mom used to make it for dinner quit a bit, but I always hated it. It turns out that I hate the frozen chicken pot pies with the mixed vegetables inside. A family I nannied for had me try Willow Tree chicken pies and those were pretty good with just the crust, gravy, and chicken breasts.

Penzeys had good timing for sending their Thanksgiving catalog. There were a few ideas for turkey leftovers and I think most turkey recipes work just fine with chicken. There was a recipe for turkey pot pie in the catalog, so I adapted it for the chicken and what we had on hand.

I had about 1 cup of leftover gravy. I think leftover potatoes or carrots would probably be ok to throw in the pot pie too and save you a bit of time. I wanted to make the pie crust, but I got out of work a lot later than I planned, so I grabbed a box of pie crust at the store on my way home.

Even though this chicken pot pie had vegetables (peas no less, a food I really just don't like) it was really good! To make this better, I'd just use a homemade pie crust. This is supposed to serve 2, but with our salads before, we probably could have made this serve 4. I think it depends on how much you eat.

Chicken Pot Pie
serves 2-4

2 medium-small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup leftover gravy
½ cup milk
salt
curry powder
granulated garlic
ground pepper
1 cup leftover chicken
1 egg yolk, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
2. Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add carrots to the potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes.
   
4. Drain the potatoes and carrots. Mix in the peas. Set aside.
5. In a sauce pan, pour gravy and milk. Whisk together.
   
6. Add salt, curry powder, garlic, and pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 teaspoon each).
7. Heat until the gravy looks like a thick sauce.
8. Shred leftover chicken and mix into vegetables. Pour into 1½ qt. cassrole dish.
   
9. Pour the gravy mixture over the vegetables.
   
10. Top with crust and brush with egg yolk. Pierce with knife or fork to vent.
    
11. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes or until crust is brown and bubbly.