Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of those things I've often craved and rarely made because of what a process making pie crust can be. What follows is my simplified approach (based on this lovely recipe) using store-bought crusts that has made this a dish I can contemplate making without the thought being followed by pulling up the DoorDash app on my phone. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Speedy Quicken Pot Pie

(8 servings*)

*If an eighth of a pie counts as a serving of course!

Ingredients

2 deep dish pie crusts* (23cm / 9in)

1 tablespoon of butter

1/4 of a medium onion (chopped)

1/2 stalk of celery (chopped)

5 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)

Black pepper (to taste)

Parsley (to taste)

1/2 cup of thawed frozen vegetables**

1/2 cup of cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)

1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can of milk

1/3 cup of shredded cheddar

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

*I usually have pre-made pie crusts on hand in the freezer. If that's your situation too, be sure to thaw the crusts beforehand!

**I prefer a pea/carrot mix myself.

Directions

1) Set the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (or 400 degrees Fahrenheit if you live in Myanmar or the USA), then bake one of the crusts for 5 or 6 minutes to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom!

1) Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and sauté the onion and celery together until the onion is translucent and soft.

2) Add the garlic and seasonings continue sautéing another minute or two until fragrant.

3) Stir in the cream of mushroom soup and milk and cook for a couple more minutes until everything is  incorporated and smooth.

4) Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the cheeses. Add salt at this point if necessary, but I've never found this necessary using the condensed soup.

5) Pour the pie filling into the pre-baked crust and top the pie with the second crust, trimming the excess from the sides, crimping along the edges to seal, and inserting a knife in a few places to allow the pie to vent while baking.

5) Return the chicken pot pie to the oven and bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.

6) Allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven, serve, and enjoy!