Graduating college in the midst of a global pandemic came with plenty of challenges. I left a city that had shaped me in many ways over the past four years to move back in with my parents while I sat in limbo.
There were a lot of hard moments, loneliness and anxiety about what would come next took over my thoughts most nights. My parents brought a familiar comfort I needed more than I'd like to admit (don't tell them I said that). Growing up, we sat down together every night and had dinner as a family over our purple plate set. During quarantine, my family decided we would switch off nights making dinner so the responsibility wouldn't fall on only my parents.
I had a lot of sympathy for my parents that summer because making dinner one night of the week was hard enough- I can't imagine how they did it for four kids with completely different likes and dislikes.
I started off strong- afternoons spent at Trader Joe's or our local grocery with a recipe I wanted to emulate in mind. Searching for ingredients and having the energy to go to the store after a long day of working from home became difficult on days I was up for feeding my family.
Thus came these delicious "Whatever Was in The Fridge" Chicken Pot Pies! They are perfect for a chilly night, or an evening you just need a good dose of comfort food. Heavy on the cream and full of fresh veggies, these bad boys are easy and a definite do over!
Recipe:
"Whatever Is In The Fridge" Chicken Pot Pies
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Pie Crust:
I like to keep it simple and use the recipe on the back of the Crisco can! Recipe linked here, or just check it out below!
1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of Crisco all-vegetable shortening
3-6 tablespoons of ice cold water (or ice cold vodka)
Instructions:
Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slice shortening into bowl and fork into flour mixture until Crisco is roughly pea-sized. Gradually add water (or vodka if using) one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together.
Either leave the ball as is or cut into two separate balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days if making in advance.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough and use the Crisco can lid to cut out eight mini pie circles. Set aside.
Pot Pie:
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (or any color you prefer / have already)
1/2 lb of mushrooms quartered
2 cups of spinach (or any green you already have on hand)
2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken (or if you have leftover chicken in the fridge!)
Half or a quarter onion, chopped (preferably white but again, whatever you have is great!)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of heavy cream (or milk if you don't have cream)
1 1/2 cup of chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
These are the ingredients I used to develop this recipe- if you prefer carrots, peas, corn, etc. to make a more traditional pot pie just follow instructions with your preferred ingredients!
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, once glistening add bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Let veggies simmer until golden or mushrooms and onions are soft. Season vegetables according to taste.
Add chicken, cooking long enough just to reheat!
Gradually add cream and chicken broth, stirring periodically as the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Seasoning again if needed.
Remove from heat. Heat mini pie press until hot and place four mini pie crusts into the press, spoon pot pie filling into each pastry and top with the remaining four mini pie crusts.
Lower press and cook for 10 minutes, periodically check to ensure optimal level of browning.
Remove pies from press and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
xo,
ej
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