Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 T olive oil or butter
2 pie crusts
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
1/4 t ground white pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, celery, etc), thawed

Directions:

Make two crusts, separating them into two balls. Use a rolling pin and a little flour for dusting and roll each dough ball out to be just a tad bigger than the circumference of your deepest 9” pie pan. Gently press one crust inside the pan and form the crust to fit the pan. Press the crust over the top edge of the pan.

Cover the second crust with a tea towel so it does not dry out. Keep it handy!

Remember, this crust is very forgiving. Pull some off of the overly long part and pat it onto the part that was short of the top of the pan. It’s all good. Never sweat the crust.

Preheat oven to 425° F

Using a tablespoon of olive oil or butter, pan sauté the chicken breasts in skillet set over medium heat. Turn the breasts frequently. Remove them to a plate when the chicken is tender enough to pull apart with two forks. After it cools a bit, slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.

In a large deep skillet, melt 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, add the onion, stirring until the onion softens. The onion should not brown.

Stir the flour and white pepper into the melted butter, stirring until it is thoroughly incorporated with no noticeable bits of flour.

Keeping the skillet on medium heat, add stock a little at a time, stirring to break up any lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce gets quite thick which it will do as the sauce comes near to a simmer.

Taste and if you are a salter, you will need to add it here.

Add the chicken pieces and the thawed mixed veggies

Spoon the saucy mixture into the pie pan.

Lay the second crust on top of the filled pie pan. Crimp the edges so they look pretty and make a few slices in the crust so steam escapes.

Bake about 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden. If it browns too fast, top the pie with a piece of foil. If you oven runs a little cool, you may need a few more minutes. It’s ok.

Set the pie out to cool for five minutes (this is a great time to smash potatoes) and serve.

The pie filling will be just a little loose if it is served right away – no problem, use the gravy to scoop up with the mashed potatoes!

The sauce will set and become quite firm when it is refrigerated.