There's something about homemade chicken pot pie that brings me to a place of feeling the utmost comfort. It's the feeling of someone you love giving you a hug and telling you that everything will be ok. You might think it's just food, which it is, but it's the heart behind it that I cling to. My mom would make me this dish whenever I was sick and now I make it whenever our family needs a pick me up. It's not the grandest and most complex of flavors, but it's simple healthy goodness you can nestle right into.

You can prepare this dish in a 13"x9" casserole dish or in two 8" pie pans. Just fix the biscuits to the shape of the pans per your prerogative.

The biscuit recipe I used is from one of my favorites and is a tried and true recipe. I have it linked for your ease. Buttermilk Biscuits by the fabulous Sally's Baking Addiction.

*If you're unable to make the biscuit dough, just use a regular pie crust. Store bought is just peachy.

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless chicken breasts,
Pie crusts (if using),
1 red or sweet onion chopped,
1 shallot chopped,
3-4 cloves of chopped garlic,
3 largish carrots chopped,
3 large stalks of celery diced,
4 good sized red potatoes cubed,
1/2 bag of frozen peas (about 1 cup),
1 can of cream of chicken,
1 quart of un-salted or low sodium chicken broth,
3-5 T flour,
3-5 T milk or half-half,
4 T butter (can just use olive oil, but the butter taste is better),
1 T garlic powder,
1/2-3-4 cup of white wine (I use Chardonnay),
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley and or tarragon together,
Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1.) Prepare a rectangle baking dish or 2 pie pans (make one, freeze one for later). Spray with non-stick spray or grease, lay down 1 pie pastry shell on bottom of pan and poke fork holes. Set aside or in the fridge to wait for the rest.
2.) Pre-heat oven to 400° with an oven safe dish or turn to 385° and cook a tad longer.
3.) In a large pot add your butter to the bottom of the pan and turn to medium heat.
4.) Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add in the chopped onion and shallot. Cool till lightly golden.
5.) Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes till golden but not crisp.
6.) Add in white wine and stir together.
7.) place down chicken breasts into the bottom of your pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip chicken and do the same again.
8.) Pour the chicken broth and the cream of chicken in over chicken breasts in the pan. Mix together.
9.) Bring to a low boil and simmer chicken for about 15-20 minutes till almost cooked through.
10.) Add in the rest of the veggies except for the peas. The carrots, celery, potatoes, and herbs all need to be stirred in.
11.) Season with another tsp or so of salt and pepper.
12.) Summer chicken and veggies for another 10 minutes all together.
13.) Remove chicken and set to cook on a plate while the veggies cook the rest of the way. You want your potatoes cooked all the way through.
14.) Cut up and clean the chicken into cubes or bite sized pieces and then return to the pot.
15.) Add in the cup of frozen peas.
16.) In a bowl or pourable measuring cup, mix the flour and milk with a fork until well combined and thick. It should be the consistency of a pancake batter. This is for thickening the soup into a gravy.
17.) The soup mixture should be at a low rolling boil. Slowly and carefully pour in your flour slurry while stirring the soup at the same time. If you aren’t stirring it’ll turn into flour-y clumps. Add the whole mixture and allow to boil together for 5 minutes.
18.) Turn off the heat and check desired gravy thickness of broth. You can add another 1 T ration of flour and milk at a time to thicken more if needed…but remember it’ll thicken again in the oven a little so don’t over do it. I like a typical gravy texture. This is also the time to check for desired “saltiness” and to add more if needed.
19.) Ladle the chicken pot pie “soup” into the pie pans or casserole dish leaving a little over an inch from the top for the biscuit or pie crust layer.
20.) Top with biscuits into an even layer, not overly smushing them together or top with pie crust and poke a couple of holes in the top.
21.) Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes until it is golden brown and bubbly all over.
22.) Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes (if you can) before serving in your comfiest bowl.
23.) Enjoy and share with your loved ones!