Chicken Pot Pie

Today I spent naptime cooking dinner for a friend who just had a baby.  I remember when AJ was born, we didn't know anyone (other than the people D worked with).  I had spent several weekend days cooking and freezing meals so that we'd have easy and nutritious dinners to eat once D went back to work and I was left alone with an infant all day long.  This recipe is one of the ones that freezes well, but is also very comforting.

I also like this recipe for new moms because it isn't a tomato based recipe.  It seems like most freezer-friendly meals tend to be tomato heavy, which can give you (and your little one) heartburn or acid reflux. 

I'm very excited to meet her precious baby boy and also to drop off this meal for her!  BTW, I doubled the recipe so I have one to take to her as well as one in my freezer for dinner at a later date!

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat 
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 1 cup sliced carrots 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 (14.5 oz) can corn, drained 
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced potatoes, drained 
• 1 tablespoon chopped dried parsley 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 (9 inch) pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine the chicken meat, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken and let cool.

Pour the remaining chicken broth mixture into a measuring cup. Let stand; spoon off fat. Add enough milk to the broth mixture to equal 2 1/2 cups.

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.

In the same pan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Saute, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in broth mixture. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and boils.

Add the chicken, corn, potatoes, parsley, and thyme. Pour mixture into a 1 1/2 quart deep casserole dish.

Roll out pastry 1 inch larger than the diameter of the casserole dish on a lightly floured surface. Cut slits in the pastry for venting air. Place pastry on top of casserole. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

**If frozen, you can cook from frozen, but I recommend baking for 20-30 minutes before topping with the pie crust so it doesn't burn.

Enjoy!