Melanie’s Chicken Pot Pie

• 6 Tbs butter
• 2½ Tbs flour
• 1½ cups chopped onion
• 1 tsp salt (to start with)
• ½ tsp white pepper (to start with)
• 2 tsp thyme (to start with)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp celery salt
• 14 oz chicken broth (to start with)
• 15 oz milk (to start with)
• 7 cups shredded chicken*
• 10-12 oz frozen peas & carrots
• 2 cups boiled golden potatoes - cut in ½" cubes
• 2 boxes Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (4 crusts)

In a small, heavy sauté pan, melt 1 Tbs butter over low heat, sauté onions with the garlic powder until almost clear.

In a medium saucepan, boil potatoes in salted water.

In a larger, heavy sauté pan, melt 5 Tbs butter over low heat. Whisk flour into the melted butter. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Cooking for this length of time will minimize 'flour' taste. Slowly add chicken broth and milk, stirring constantly to incorporate liquid so sauce won’t lump. Add chicken juices and spices, simmer until sauce has thickened to a thin paste.

Place chicken, onions, peas & carrots in a large bowl. Pour sauce into bowl, mix well. Fold in potatoes. Put in 9" square pan or multiple small pans. Cover top with Pillsbury pie crust. Cut several slits in crust for venting.

Bake at 400ºF for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. If the edges of the crust look done before 35 minutes, they can be covered with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

*Note: More or less chicken may be used according to taste. Save all the juices from the chicken and the container it came in.