Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pie

I have two staple recipes that I use when I have company coming over and don't know what they like. This is one of the two. I have never had anyone not like it. Most of the time people ask me for the recipe. I got it out of the Southern Living 1981 cookbook.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (1 1/2lb) package boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 -5  potatoes
• 5  stalks celery
• 1⁄2 lb carrot
• 1 (15 ounce) can peas (drained)
• 1⁄2 cup butter or 1⁄2 cup margarine
• 2⁄3 cup flour
• 1  cup milk
• 1  chicken bouillon cube
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1 (9 inch)  double crust pie crusts (I use Pilsburry roll out pie crust found in most grocery stores dairy section)

Directions

1. Place chicken, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and water to cover in a Dutch oven ( I just use a stock pot). Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and done. Remove chicken from broth; cool. Cut chicken into bit size pieces.
2. Cut potatoes, celery, and carrots into 1- inch chunks. Place in broth; simmer until tender. Drain vegetables, reserving 3 cups broth. Combine chicken, potatoes, celery, carrots and peas; spoon into a 13x9x2 inch pan.
3. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk, 3 cups chicken broth, and bouillon cube; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in 2 tsps salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Pour the sauce evenly over chicken vegetable mixture.
4. Prepare pastry roll to fit a 13x9x2 inch pan. Place crust over chicken mixture; cut 2 to 6 small slits in crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
5. Side notes to make it a quicker dish.
6. 1. As soon as the chicken looks done add the vegetables to the water. This allows the chicken to become tender but still allows you to save some time.
7. 2. Make the sauce while the vegetables are cooking.
8. 3. Buy the shredded carrots. This saves lots of time.
9. 4. Just a side note, the recipe calls for celery but I never put it inches I just don't like cooked celery.
10. 5. Don't forget to save back the broth. Normally I just dish it out of the pot while the vegetables are cooking. That way I can make the sauce and I don't have to try and save some of the broth back.
11. 6. It really doesn't take 45 minutes to cook in the oven. It normally takes about 15 minutes. All the ingredients are done you just need to make sure the crust is brown.