So the first thing that usually comes to mind when anyone says “baking” is sweets. Cookies, cakes, etc. And, as evident, I love making all those! However, I’m also a big fan of savory baking.

Recently, I made a family favorite from when I was little – chicken pot pie. It was always something my brother and I looked forward to for dinner. And when we went away to college, it was always the first dish we requested when back home on break!

Here’s our spin on it:

The Ingredients

• 1 10-oz. package frozen peas and carrots *
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 2 cups water (plus a little extra in case filling gets too thick)
• 1 Tbsp. instant chicken bouillon granules
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (ensure your package has 2 crusts!)

Notes:

• This size package of peas and carrots is getting rather hard to find in stores (at least in CA). When I made this one, I actually couldn’t even find a package of just peas and carrots! So I improvised with a fresh carrot and frozen peas 😛
• The original recipe we have uses milk in addition to water. However, because my mom is lactose intolerant, we haven’t made it that way as long as I can remember. And I still make it this way – it’s that delicious!

The Directions

• Preheat oven to 450° F
• Cook and cube chicken according to your preference *
• Cook peas and carrots according to package directions. Drain any liquid
• In a saucepan, cook onion in margarine until tender but not brown
• Stir in flour, salt, sage, and pepper
• Add water and chicken bouillon granules all at once
• Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly on medium/medium-low heat
• Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more (because, why not?!)
• Stir in vegetables and chicken
• Heat until bubbly again
• Set up bottom crust according to your preference *
• Pour mixture into/onto crust
• Add top crust, crimping edges and making slits in the center
• Put in oven for around 20 minutes (until bottom crust is cooked through)

Notes:

• To make it super easy on myself, I use frozen chicken tenders (easier to work with than breasts), and I boil them.
• I prefer to use a deep glass pie dish – this way, all the filling makes it into the pie! My dad, on the other hand, really likes chicken pot pie made on a pizza stone – the bottom crust is much crispier this way.

Trying to describe the deliciousness that is chicken pot pie is going to be hard, but here’s my attempt! First off, I love how the crust has a bit of a flakey crisp to just the outermost layer. The rest of the crust is a bit softer (and super addicting!). Then comes the filling. It has a great creaminess to it (even though there’s no dairy anywhere!). And the chicken, peas, and carrots all compliment each other so well. Simple flavors, for sure, but combined in just the right amounts to make each ingredient sing.

Last but not least, we must talk about the sage. I feel the sage is what makes chicken pot pie what it is. Without the sage, maybe it would be a good dish (?), but there’s something about sage that enriches the chicken and vegetables. It gives a great little earthy/fall undertone to the dish.

Side note – this chicken pot pie is one of my mom’s favorite recipes (and now mine) for many reasons, including one very practical one. While the pie is baking, you have enough time to clean the kitchen! Yes, all the dishes involved in the prep (there aren’t many) and even the countertops. Winning recipe for sure! 😉

This chicken pot pie makes me smile for so many reasons. In addition to bringing back wonderful childhood memories, this chicken pot pie makes me happy about the present and excited for the future. I love that I can cook simple, delicious meals like this for my fiance (despite our sometimes rather hectic teaching schedules!). And someday, I look forward to cooking this meal for our children – hopefully they love it as much as we do!