Chicken pot pie is a classic dish that is always a family favorite.

It’s also a very versatile dish depending on what you have on hand. For instance, I used chicken thighs because that’s what I had in my freezer at the time, but any chicken meat will work just fine.

You can also use whatever vegetables you have on hand as well. I had some leftover celery that I froze so I didn’t bother buying fresh celery at the grocery store.

I also had a package of pie pastries in the freezer left over from the holidays.

To substitute for the chicken broth, I used my homemade turkey stock, which always gives it that extra wonderful flavor.

This dish is not only delicious but is always a great way for me to use what I already have stocked up in my freezer.

Let’s get started! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb. raw chicken
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 32 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, & green peas), thawed and drained
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 2 (10.5 oz.) cans cream of chicken
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 packages refrigerated pie pastries (4 pastries total), at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Shower Cajun seasoning on both sides of raw chicken.

I used chicken thighs because that is what I had on hand in the freezer at the time. Feel free to use whatever chicken you prefer or have on hand as well.

3. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook 4-5 minutes on each side until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

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4. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let cool.

5. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks and shred the chicken apart. Set aside.

6. In a separate large pot, sauté onion and celery in butter over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until soft.

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7. Add mixed vegetables, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Stir and cook vegetables for about 10 minutes.

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8. Add soup and broth. Stir until well blended.

For this step I substituted chicken broth with my homemade turkey stock.

9. Add shredded chicken. Stir until everything is well combined.

10. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

11. While the chicken mixture is simmering unwrap the pie pastry and line the bottom of your pie pan with your pastry dough.

Before handling your dough, I suggest taking the pie pastries out of the refrigerator and let them get to room temperature for about 10 minutes. This will avoid any cracking or breaking of the dough. Clearly, I did not do this beforehand as you can see in the pictures.

12. Once the chicken mixture is done simmering, remove the pot from the heat.

13. Spoon chicken mixture into pie plate over pastry dough.

14. Top with second pie pastry and seal edge of pastry dough.

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15. Cut slits on top of pastry dough, to allow heat to vent, and brush with melted butter.

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16. Repeat steps 11 through 15 for the second pie.

Depending on how many people I am feeding at the time, I will sometimes refrigerate or freeze the remaining chicken mixture. That way I can bake the second pie for a night when I don’t have a lot of time to cook or prepare a home cooked meal.

17. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. After 15 minutes of baking, cover edge of the crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.

18. Take the pie out the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!