Best Chicken Pie

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs whole chickens, skinned and cut into pieces
• 1 lb chicken breast, bone-in and skinned
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (yukon gold or sheprody)
• 1 lb frozen peas
• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• flour (plus water to make slurry to thicken gravy)
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten in a cup w/ enough water added to make 1/2 cup

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot put whole chicken pieces and chicken breasts in enough water to cover (include cage but w/out giblets).
• 2 add half the onions, season w/ s& p.
• 3 simmer until the meat is very tender and falls easily off the bone.
• 4 save liquid for gravy.
• 5 cool meat thoroughly and pick chicken from bones.
• 6 cook carrots and potatoes in chicken liquid until tender.
• 7 season w/ s& p.
• 8 remove veggies from liquid& cool them completely.
• 9 add remaining onions and bring to a slow boil.
• 10 reduce chicken/vegetable liquid by half.
• 11 skim all fat from whole chicken broth.
• 12 add onion powder.
• 13 taste and reseason w/ s& p.
• 14 whisk together 1 c.
• 15 of flour& 1 c.
• 16 +of water for a gravy slurry.
• 17 slowly whisk slurry into broth and cook until gravy is thick.
• 18 cool.
• 19 add meat and vegetables into a 9x13x2 pan.
• 20 add frozen peas on top.
• 21 stir a bit.
• 22 cover w/ gravy and cover w/ tin foil.
• 23 chill thoroughly as this will keep the pie crust from becoming soggy (at this point you can freeze this pie and cover w/ crust later).
• 24 crust: in a bowl add flour, salt, shortening.
• 25 beat with an electric mixer on low until all is incorporated.
• 26 do not overmix.
• 27 by hand mix in enough egg/water mixture so that dough holds together.
• 28 roll out, cover pie, crimp edges and make vent slits in top.
• 29 bake fresh pies at 350 f for 45 minutes plus or until crust is golden and chicken bubbling.
• 30 frozen method: this crust can be placed on frozen chicken mixture and then be refrozen for later use.
• 31 bake frozen pies for 70 minutes plus until crust is golden and chicken bubbling.