The Pioneer Woman Cooks (41 page)

6. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.

7. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine, if using.

The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy.

8. Pour in the cream and stir.

Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it’s adequately salted!

9. Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan or small casserole dish.

10. Roll out the crust so that it’s 1 inch larger than the pan. Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top. Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal. I don’t worry about making a perfect edge on my chicken pot pie because a) it looks more rustic and b) I’m lazy and hungry, and I want to eat.

11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

12. Use a large spoon to serve.

Mmmm. This is what I’m talkin’ about.

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Makes two to three 9-inch pie crusts

This recipe was sent to me by Sylvia Lamon of Jenkins Farm and has lived up to its claim of being the flakiest pie crust in existence. The recipe uses the same basic ingredients as my mom’s old standby recipe, but this pie crust is made ahead of time and frozen as a way of enhancing the flakiness factor.

It has replaced all pie crust recipes in my arsenal.

3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt1½ cups vegetable shortening1 egg5 tablespoons cold water1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add in the shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles.

3. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.

4. Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then add it to the mixture Next, add in the cold water and vinegar…

5. Stir the mixture together until it’s just combined, then remove half of the dough from the bowl.

6. Place in a large plastic bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin. This makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly.