Chicken Pot Pie

I can't wait to tell you about this oh-my-god moment. 

  OMG, I made chicken pot pie. 

  OMG, that's incredibly easy!

  OMG, it was really yummy!

Mind you, I don't take to using OMG very often because I know it's overrated and overused.   But oh my god, excuse me if I had to use it again, this is incredible.  I can't tell which of the three omg's above weigh more to me but I must share this.  This ain't no side dish as one small ramekin can fill up one very eager and hungry tummy (mine).  Let's do this again slowly...

OMG, I made chicken pot pie.  Call it chicken pie, chicken ala king, whatever!  I'm always tempted to grab one in bakeries,  store shelves and food stands.  I don't always get satisfied but I still end up getting some.  I have also tried making this in the past, using ready made puff pastry shells, which also turned out good, by the way.  But in my humble opinion, nothing beats homemade.    

OMG, that's incredibly easy!  I used Annie's recipe as a guide but did it this way.  

FILLING: 

• Boil 6  pieces of chicken thighs in water, salt and garlic.  
• Dice chicken when done and set aside water used to boil chicken.  
• Dice some bell peppers (I used yellow), carrots, potatoes, using green peas as size guide.
• Sauté carrots and potatoes in butter, when almost done, add bell peppers and diced chicken and canned sliced mushrooms.  Set aside.
• Melt 3/4 sticks of butter in the same pan, add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk until smooth. 
• Whisk in 3 cups of water used to boil chicken and simmer in medium heat until thick.
• Add in 1/2 can of all-purpose cream.  Use more if you wish. 
• Season with salt and pepper.  
• Throw chicken and veggies back in.  Add some green peas.  I used the equal quantities for all veggies.  
• Stir and let it simmer for a while. 

CRUST.  I tried to half Annie's recipe but ended up doing it this way: Combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1 stick Philadelphia cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.  She used a food processor to make the crust but since I don't have a food processor, I alternated mashing/kneading and using the mixer with dough hook attachment.  Now here's the boo-boo.  I added "1 large egg" to the list and placed it beside the mixing bowl in front of me.  When I was done putting together the crust, I said, "oh no, i forgot the egg!"  So I mixed and mashed again because I needed to incorporate the egg.  Stupid me, never good at following instructions.  Ms. That's Easy, never reading instructions completely.  The egg was supposed to be brushed on top of the crust before baking.  Oh well, I can't re-do it.  I don't have cream cheese anymore.  So with fingers crossed, I went ahead.  I found using the rolling pin a nuisance, so i just flattened the dough with my palms and traced the ramekins, making it slightly  bigger than the diameter of the ramekins.  Lay cut dough on top of the ramekins or any pie dish you are using.  Brush beaten egg lightly over the dough (so this was what the egg was for!).  Bake in a preheated oven (375° F) until golden brown.  

Forgive the gushing Mickey.  I had the same expression.

OMG, it's yummy!  The crust turned out okay despite the booboo.  It was  flaky and rich.  The filling was tasty and creamy but with less guilt as I used only half of the required cream.  Crust and filling-- different textures blending beautifully.  This is yummy comfort food, perfect for the chilly days ahead.