My Aunt Lena was the Undisputed World’s Champion when it came to Chicken Pies. Course, she used lard in her homemade pie crusts and often snatched a fresh hen from the backyard. How can you top that?
But thinking about Aunt Lena, I baked a Chicken Pie this week, and while it won’t claim any ribbons from the County Fair, it was pretty darned good.
There are no real secrets to baking a Chicken Pie. You can even whip one up from a can or two of Cream of Chicken Soup and the pickings from a Rotisserie Chicken, but if you want a special Chicken Pie, start from scratch.
For extra tender chicken, I went with chicken tenderloins, I browned them in a little butter and olive oil, just a few minutes on each side so they were bursting with juices. The butter adds huge flavor. I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder as they browned. Removing the chicken, I sauteed 1/3 C chopped onions in the original pan, then mixed 1/3 C of flour with (about) 1 ¾ C chicken stock, stirring until it began to thicken, then I added (about) 2/3 milk. Keep adding ingredients until it’s the right consistency. I then added my 8 tenderloins cut into bite size pieces along with 2 C of frozen peas and carrots. I poured that mixture to a Pillsbury pie crust, then covered with another crust and brushed the pie with an egg white. I baked my pie for 45 minutes in a 415 oven. It was golden brown, the chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and it was delicious.
Aunt Lena would have been proud.
Chicken Pie
2 refrigerated pie crusts
8 chicken tenderloins (2 ½ C chopped)
1/3 C butter
1 T olive oil
1/3 C flour
2/3 C milk
1 ¾ C chicken stock
S & P to taste
1 t Garlic Powder
2 C frozen peas and carrots
