Chicken Pot Pie

Instructions

1. 01

   Whisk flour and salt togther

2. 02

   Add COLD butter and lard cubes to the flour/salt mixture

3. 03

   Use a pastry cutter to blend the fat into the flour until it resembles course pea-sized crumbs

4. 04

   Begin adding ice water slowly (start with 4 TB) and mix gently with a spatula

5. 05

   Add ice water in 1-2 TB incerments and mix until the dough comes together in a mostly solid mass

6. 06

   Use your hands to form the dough into 2 small discs

7. 07

   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out

8. 08

   Prepare your cooked chicken. Whether it's cooked chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, etc. You need 10 cups of cooked chicken, set aside.

9. 09

   Chop your veggies however hearty you want them to be

10. 10

    Melt butter in a LARGE pot (if you're making the full batch) or split the batch in half to use smaller pots

11. 11

    Sauté onions, carrots, and celery in the butter

12. 12

    Sprinkle on flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix it into the veggies

13. 13

    Slowly pour in the broth and stir constantly

14. 14

    Add in the whole milk, keep stirring as the filling thickens

15. 15

    Stir in the cooked chicken and frozen vegetables

16. 16

    Turn off heat and allow filling to cool

17. 17

    My filling recipe will fill 4-5 9" disposable pie plates. When I'm freezing a big batch like this, I typically only put a top crust on the pie rather than having both a top and bottom. I think the crust-to-pie ratio is good and it can get too crusty with a double crust in these smaller tins. If you have a very deep pie plate, a top and bottom crust make more sense

18. 18

    Spray the tin pie plates with avocado oil or another nonstick cooking spray. Fill with the desired amount of filling

19. 19

    Roll out the pie crust enough to cover the pie. Pinch the pie crust to secure it.

20. 20

    Cut a slit in the top of the pie crust

21. 21

    Brush with an egg wash and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes or until the top is crispy golden brown.

22. 22

    Let cool slightly before cutting and serving

23. 23

    Cover the unbaked, assembled pot pies with one layer of plastic wrap, then top with a layer of tinfoil. Store in freezer up to 3 months.

24. 24

    Thaw pot pie as much as you can

25. 25

    Uncover and brust with egg wash

26. 26

    Cut slit in the middle

27. 27

    Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly. I use a meat thermometer to make sure it's hot enough in the center as well, at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit