Chicken Pot Pie

*Pictures coming soon; having technical diffulculties!

Ok, this has two parts, the filling and the crust. We’ll do the shopping list, then we’ll do the filling then the crust. Shopping. Filling. Crust. Let’s go!

1 can of mixed veggies (15 oz /425g)

1 can of pre cooked chicken (12.5 oz /354g)

Plain Flour-3-6 TABLE spoons for the filling

Butter- 3 TABLE spoons

Chicken bouillon- 2 TEA spoons

Cornstarch and COLD milk (maybe if it doesn’t thicken up-less than a 1/3 cup each; if the sauce does thicken up you don’t need it)

Flour (plain flour) for crust- 2 and 1/4 cups ( 265 grams)

1/2 cup bread flour (strong flour 55g)

1/2 stick of butter (55g)

2 TABLE spoons (65g) of vegetable shortening (or lard)

135 ml boiling water

1 TEA spoon salt

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F (~204.44C)

2. Next you have to make a roux which sounds harder than it is.

3. Melt three TABLE spoon of butter and add one TABLE spoon of plain flour. Stir until the flour absorbs the butter.

4. Add one TABLE spoons of plain flour at a time, continuing to stir and allowing the flour to absorb the butter until you have a lumpy thing that reminds you of what Doby might cook if he were making sad mashed potatoes.(It will be slightly pulling away from the pan) (steps 4 and 5 can be done at the same time, just don’t let the roux burn)

5. Open your can of chicken and your can of veggies and drain the liquid from both into a separate pot and mix in 2 TEA Spoons of bouillon ( or two cubes). While your doing this stir the Doby roux around every once in a while so it doesn’t burn.

6. Slowly,( a cup or ladle full at a time) add the broth to the roux. Stir it each time you add some until it’s well mixed. Don’t add more broth until the roux-stuff is mixed well.

7. Once all the broth is added to the roux, pour in the canned chicken and the canned veggies. Stir.

8. Turn down the heat on the filling to low and prepare to work on your crust. (You can reuse the broth pot for this next part if you want to save dishes)

Adorable trash panda says you’re doing great!

9. In a large bowl mix 2 and 1/4 cups of plain flour (265g) and 1/2 cup of bread (55g strong) flour.

10. Use a cheese grater to grate 1/2 a stick of butter (55g) Use the medium holes in the grater, not the super small ones).

11. Use your hand to smoosh the ever loving tar out of it. Smoosh it, smoosh it. Till the butter is mixed in and it looks crumbly.

12. Get someone to turn the sink on for you and wash your goopy hands! Or get your sink handle all goopy, you do you.

13. Melt 65g lard or shortening ( about 2 heaping TABLE spoons) in a pot, pour in 135 ml of boiling water and 1 TEA SPOON of salt

14. Mix up the melted ingredients and pour them into your flour/butter mixture

15. Use a wooden spoon to begin mixing up the dough, it will be hot. You DO need to work the dough while it’s warm. If it cools down it won’t work (learn from my mistakes)

16. Knead the dough together until you have a consistent ball, you may need to sprinkle in some more flour as you go.

15. cut the dough ball into ALMOST half. You want a slightly bigger portion for the bottom of the pie.

16. Roll out the bigger portion into a circle and place in your pie dish. I find draping the dough circle over my rolling pin and using the pin to place it in the pie dish helps….but whatever works for you :-)

17. Here’s my trick. Take your 1/3 to 1/4 CUP of UNCOOKED rice and spread just enough rice to cover the bottom of the pie evenly. This will soak up extra moisture while it’s baking and keep you from getting a soggy bottom.

18. Pour your filling to almost the top of the pie dish ( not so much that it would spill as you move it)

19. Roll out the 2nd (smaller) portion of dough in to a circle big enough to cover your pie and place it on top of the pie.

20. Crimp the edges down, you can make it look fancy if you want….I certainly try but have yet to succeed….

21. Poke some holes in the top to vent off steam.

22. Bake for about 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown. (The canned chicken was already cooked, so the baking is really only for the crust.)

23. Take out and let sit for at least 10 minutes. The longer it sits the more the filling sets up, but you know I guess it depends on how hungry you are too…

24. That’s it go eat!