How to Make and Freeze Chicken Pot Pie

My husband's favorite meal is chicken potpie. We both grew up in homes with stay at home mothers who took pride in cooking meals from scratch and both had wonderful chicken potpie recipes. The draw back is that both their recipes took hours to prepare and as a two working parent household, we just didn't have that time. I tried frozen potpies and while my husband liked them (truth: he likes them a lot more than I do), they just weren't the same.

As I learned more about Once A Month Cooking (OAMC), I decided that if you could find it in the freezer section of the grocery store, I could learn to cook and freeze it also. Finding the perfect way to make a quick chicken potpie became a quest, one that any Don Quixote fan can understand. My first attempts were barely edible but I persisted. I have found the perfect way to make and freeze chicken pot pie.

It's not to make the entire pie and freeze it but to make the filling and freeze that. On the back of a baking mix box, I found a wonderful recipe for a delicious pour over pot pie crust that takes minutes to make and is as wonderful as it is easy. Once the filling it made and frozen, once it is thawed, you can have the pot pie with pour over crust ready to go in the oven before the oven is preheated.

Since we prefer white meat, I start with chicken breasts and poach them. I put 8 to 10 chicken breasts with bones and skin in a large pot with about a quart of water. I add an onion, some garlic, a couple stalks of celery (or all the celery leaves from a bunch of celery), and a few carrots. I season with salt and pepper and bring the water to a boil. I then simmer for about 10 minutes and turn off the pot. I let it sit for about 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, I will start cutting and dicing the vegetables. Since I'm making 4 to 6 meals of filling, it takes a lot of vegetables. I will dice about 6 medium onions, 2 to 3 pounds of carrots, a full bunch of celery, and anything else that I want to add.

Take out the chicken and put it on a platter to cool. Strain the broth and set aside to use later.

Into the same large pot, I'll add a few tablespoons of olive oil and start with the onion and cook that until it starts to soften. Than add the carrots and celery and continue cooking until they start to become tender. Once the vegetables are crisp tender, slowly stir in about a cup of flour. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes to make sure everything is incorporated and does not burn. Slowly add the strained broth and stir until mixture is thick and rich. If necessary, add water to thin. Add in frozen peas. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Turn the heat down and simmer while getting the chicken ready to add.

While the vegetable mix simmers, remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Cut the chicken into nice sized chunks. Stir the chicken into the mixture and remove from heat and allow to cool.

When cool, divide the mixture into one baking dish for tonight's potpie and 5 freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bags and close. Lay the freezer bags flat to freeze. On cooking day, thaw the filling mixture and pour into baking dish. Make the crust and pour over the top. If you prefer a rolled out crust, you can make that and line the baking dish before pouring the filling and then top with another crust.

The mixture should last 3 to 4 months in the freezer. If I want to store it for a longer time, instead of the zipper freezer bags, I will package using my food saver.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling (makes 6 meals for 4 people)

8 to 10 chicken breasts, poached (may substitute 10 cups diced chicken)

1-quart broth

4 to 6 onions

3 pounds carrots

1 bunch celery

2 pounds frozen peas

1-cup flour (Approximate)

Seasonings to taste

Chicken Pot Pie Crust (makes one pot pie crust)

1 cup baking mix

1-cup milk

4 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix well and pour mixture over pot pie filling. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.