🙂
Lately, I’ve been making quite a few pies. Fall just inspires the pie-maker in me to come out and bake away. If it’s a fruit, I’m determined to toss it in a crust and call it pie. Tonight’s dinner, while technically in the pie family, could actually be more appropriately termed a cobbler. I am speaking, of course, of the humble pot pie. One of my absolute favorite ways to use leftovers is to make a pot pie. I start by making a roux which turns into a gravy, and then I basically dump in whatever I feel like dumping in. Usually after Thanksgiving, I dump in turkey and vegetables from dinner leftovers. Sometimes, I use pot pie as a way to clean out some odds-n-ends in the freezer. Tonight I had a chicken leftover from Andy’s birthday dinner. I made two small chickens with the purpose of using some straight up once, and then utilizing the rest for at least three more meals. This is the first of those three. I also have enough leftovers to make enchiladas, white chicken chili, and then using the carcasses I intend to make some chicken stock and soup. (Stock may very well be tomorrow’s project.)
I have shared the recipe before, but it really changes every time I make the pot pie. I don’t even follow the recipe anymore. The recipe in the Trove is what I closely follow, but I toss in just about anything. I have come to love tossing in a little fennel, so I was slightly disappointed to realize that I didn’t have any. Fortunately, the chicken was roasted with fennel spice, so I could get at least a hint of that wonderful fennel flavor. Chicken Pot Pie. Comfort food all the way, and as an added bonus, when you make it, make two and pop one in the freezer after it’s baked and cooled. To reheat, cover with foil and bake from frozen state in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes. Peel off the foil, and bake for a few more minutes to crisp up the top.