Roasted Chicken Pot Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet or saute pan, melt butter over medium heat, then add flour and chopped garlic. Stir to combine and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture starts to bubble and turn slightly brown. Add 3 cups chicken broth, pan drippings from roasting your chicken**, the shredded chicken, vegetables, herbs, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. (The mixture will become more flavorful as it thickens, so don’t add too much salt at this point.) Cook over medium heat until it becomes bubbly, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-8 minutes until mixture thickens. Add more chicken broth if it gets too thick, 1/4 cup at a time. Remove from heat and stir in the cream, if using. Pour filling into a 9-inch pie plate and let it cool for a few minutes.

Roll out pie crust a bit so it’s about an inch bigger than the pie plate, then place over the top of the filling. Tuck edges underneath themselves to form a smooth edge and crimp, if desired, using your finger. Cut 2 or 3 small slits in the top of the crust, toward the center. Place egg in a small bowl and mix with 1 Tablespoon of water and beat with a fork. Brush some egg wash over top of the crust. (You’ll have some leftover.)

Place pie plate on top of a rimmed cookie sheet (in case it spills over while baking) and place in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Nat’s Notes:
1. I try to use some of the same herbs I used in the pot pie as I did when I baked the chicken, to complement the flavors already in the pan drippings and the meat. If you’re unsure what to use or if your drippings and meat don’t have a strong flavor, rosemary is a good choice.
2. You can also make individual pot pies by dividing the filling into ramekins. This recipe will fill 5 or 6 10-oz ramekins. (Or 4 10-oz + 2 5-oz like I did. The smaller ones are good for the kids.) You can cut the pie crust into rounds to fit over the ramekins or use a small cookie cutter and cover the tops with a bunch of cut-outs. Place ramekins on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake until crust is golden brown.
3. Feel free to use fresh chopped vegetables instead of frozen. Just saute them for a few minutes in the melted butter before you add the flour.
4. ** If you don’t want to roast a chicken, you could use the meat from a rotisserie chicken and substitute the cup of pan drippings with 1 cup chicken broth + 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules + 2 teaspoon of the same fresh herbs you used for the rest of the recipe (or 1 teaspoon dried).