What My Family Eats #3

When my wife and I moved in together we brought a lot of things. Along with the many duplicate and easily vetted kitchen items we crammed into our kitchen, two complimentary takes on chicken pot pie met in our recipe box. Never ones to shy away from improvement, we borrowed a little from each to create what we term the "Uber Pot Pie" and boy is it satisfying on a cold winter (or spring) night.

With a biscuit top and fresh vegetables in a creamy sauce that starts as a roux, this isn't the most healthful dish to pass through our kitchen. But once we've made our way through the left-overs the next day at lunch, we don't seem to mind.

Uber Pot Pie

biscuit topping
2 cups - flour
4 tbsp. - butter
1 tsp. - salt
1 tbsp. - baking powder
2/3 cup - milk
filling
1/3 cup - butter
1/3 cup - chopped onion
1/3 cup - flour
1/2 tsp. - salt
1/4 tsp. - pepper
1 1/2 cups - chicken broth
2/3 cup - milk
3 cups - shredded, cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup - cooked red potato (cut into 1/2" cubes)
1/2 cup - frozen corn
1/2 cup - steamed broccoli

To make the biscuit topping, combine flour, salt, baking powder and very cold butter with pastry cutter. When no pieces of butter larger than a pea remain, add milk. Stir and knead until forms a doughy ball. Roll out dough to approximately 3/4" in thickness or until large enough to completely cover a 9" round casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 425º. For filling, melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken, potato, corn and broccoli to pan, mixing well. Remove from heat.

Spoon chicken mixture into 9" glass, casserole dish. Place biscuit topping on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until biscuit topping is lightly golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If you prefer (or have on hand) turkey, feel free to substitute. And for a vegetarian version, simply increase the amount of vegetables so the total is 5 cups.