The ultimate winter comfort food: Make one or more of those when it’s nice outside, cover tightly with foil (see instructions below) and pop it into the oven when it’s cold!

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- Ingredients!
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1⁄3 cup butter
- 1⁄2 cup sliced celery
- 1⁄3 cup onion, chopped
- 1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1⁄2 tsp. salt
- 1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄4 tsp. celery seed
- 1⁄2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chicken bouillon paste, or a chicken bouillon cube, or 1 tsp. chicken bouillon powder, or more to taste
- 1 cup milk
- 8 oz. frozen veggies (mix of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 1 premade pie crust, or make your own with Cthulhu’s homemade pie crust
Directions
Preparing the chicken, option 1:
Put the chicken in a saucepan with water. Bring it to a simmer and cook until it’s just barely cooked through, then remove the chicken to a plate.
Reserve about 1 ¾ cup of the water in a measuring cup, and discard the rest.
Preparing the chicken, option 2:
As a diehard Maillard Reaction addict, I actively avoid boiling meat in favor of roasting, grilling, or frying in a skillet whenever possible, so I prepare the chicken this way instead:
We’re making gravy here to go with the chicken and veggies, after all, so I prepare the chicken with that in mind: I cut the breast into bite-size pieces, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and brown it in a skillet with a bit of oil.
I transfer the chicken into a bowl and deglaze the skillet with 1 3⁄4 cup water: Bring it to a boil, scrape up the yummy brown bits and greasy stuff, then transfer to a measuring cup and use it when the recipe calls for the reserved water.
Add onions, celery and butter to the saucepan and cook for a few minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bullion and celery seed. Slowly stir in the reserved water and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.
By the way, chicken pot pie is the quintessential Frankenstein-friendly dish: Other than the crust, you can do just about anything you want here: Besides the skillet option for preparing the chicken, you can go nuts with seasoning, veggie choices, anything. Add mushrooms, use leeks instead of celery or onions; sky’s the limit.
Add chopped chicken and frozen vegetables. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, bouillon or garlic powder if needed.
Important: Put the pie filling in the fridge and let it cool completely: If you put the filling in the crust while it’s still hot you’ll have yourself a soggy crust.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a 9‑inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put the bottom half of your pi
Add cooled chicken pot pie filling. Roll out second pie crust and place over the top of the filling. Seal edges of the two crusts together and crimp them, if desired.
Use a sharp knife to make a small slit in the top pie crust to allow steam to escape.
Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush a very thin layer over the top pie crust before baking.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. If you find the pie crust is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.
Allow chicken pot pie to cool for at least 15–20 minutes before serving, to allow it to set up.
Freezing Instructions
You can freeze chicken pot pie before or after baking. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator then bake as directed, or pop it in the oven frozen for about 60 minutes, then check every few minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.