Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie in a Pan

From start-to-finish, this is a "feel good" dinner--it screams "Home Cookin'" and "I love you!"...in sweet tones, of course! Use your bread machine for the dough (like I do) or make from scratch on your own (more brownie points!). Not a "fast" or "simple" recipe...but WELL-WORTH the effort (wait'll you hear the sighs of delight---you'll know what I mean). COOKING time does NOT include bread-machine cycle.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 1 13x9 pan

Ingredients

• The Top Crust

• 1 1⁄4 cups milk, hot to the touch
• 2  tablespoons shortening
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon  yeast
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon tarragon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper (or more)
• 3 1⁄2 cups flour

• The Filling

• 4  cups  cooked chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 1⁄2 cups chicken broth (from cooking chicken meat)
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  onion, chopped
• 4  carrots, peeled, sliced
• 4  celery ribs, chopped

• Optional Filling Ingredients

•  canned mushroom (optional)
•  fresh mushrooms (optional)
•  thyme (optional)
•  rosemary (optional)
•  curry (optional)
•  peas (optional)
•  broccoli (optional)
•  mixed vegetables (cooked) (optional)
•  potato (optional)
•  turnip (cooked) (optional)

• The Gravy

• 3  tablespoons chicken fat
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄3 cup flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups  cream, half-n-half or 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

• The Glaze

• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon water

Directions

1. FOR THE CRUST.
2. Place all ingredients in your bread-maker (according to manufacturer's directions, mine go in "liquid first"); program for "Dough" or "Manual" then press "Start.".
3. The dough will be very sticky at first (like biscuit dough); it will firm up by the end of the kneading time.
4. While the dough is kneading, prepare the filling.
5. FOR THE FILLING.
6. Cook chicken breasts in your normal way (I use water & cooking sherry), reserve broth and separate fat if you can (used in the Gravy).
7. Melt butter in hot pan, saute onion & carrots until lightly browned, add celery, saute until limp-ish.
8. Dump veggies and chicken into large bowl.
9. FOR THE GRAVY.
10. Melt butter and fat (USE ALL BUTTER IF YOU DIDN'T SEPARATE THE FAT FROM THE BROTH) in same pan (as veggies), whisk in the flour.
11. S-L-O-W-L-Y add the reserved broth, continually whisking out the lumps.
12. Whisk in the cream and S & P.
13. Turn off the heat, stir in meat & veggies.
14. FOR THE GLAZE:
15. In a small bowl, mix egg and water, beating to a frothy mess; set aside.
16. ASSEMBLY.
17. Lightly spray or butter a 13x9 pan; pour chicken/gravy mixture into this dish.
18. Transfer bread dough to a floured work surface; knead by hand five times (count 'em); now let it rest for five minutes (this works, trust me).
19. Flour a rolling pin and roll dough into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle; do NOT over-work the dough, light touches are best!
20. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut rolled-out dough into two-inch squares or diamonds if you're really creative!
21. Place squares/diamonds on top of the chicken-veg-gravy mixture in the pan--aim for a cobblestone look (overlap them a bit).
22. Brush generously with egg glaze (this will give the dough a nice brown--slightly shiny--finish).
23. Put into a COLD oven, turn heat to 350 (the dough will rise a bit while the oven heats); bake 35-45 minutes--the dough will be a lovely rich brown color.
24. Let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
25. With a green salad or a fruit salad on the side you have climbed to the top of the pedestal!