Hungry Dancer: chicken pot pie for the soul

You guys. I made the best chicken pot pie last weekend! I feel I can make such a claim only because I had zero expectations for this one. I was craving basic comfort food and you can't get more basic than good ol' fashioned chicken pot pie. Boy was I surprised at the outcome!

I originally planned to make this in the slow cooker so it would be ready to eat when we got home from work Friday night. But true to form, I hit the snooze button too many times Friday morning and there was no time for prep. Believe me, most of the time I barely get out the door in one piece. Mornings are not my forte. Alas, I had to revert to plan B, cooking it in the oven later than night.

I got home and scrounged my cookbooks and the interwebs for a recipe, but of course I couldn't find just one that made me happy. I ended up using various parts of three different recipes, creating my own recipe. If you try it, keep in mind that my measurements are flexible :)

Hungry Dancer's Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
1 lb (give or take) chicken breast tenders
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
4 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
Half package of frozen peas (I used half a 10-oz. package)
1 1/4 cups of Bisquick mix (more if batter is too thin)
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg

Directions

1. Boil the chicken in water seasoned with salt and bay leaf for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Drain the chicken and let cool. Discard the bay leaf. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces and set aside in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Saute the onion in a couple tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook until they just begin to turn translucent. Add the carrots and season the veggies with salt and pepper to taste, along with the thyme. Cook just until the carrots become tender and then remove from heat. Add the onion and carrot mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
4. Melt four tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted, whisk in flour, along with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk and cream, constantly stirring until it boils. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat slightly and keep stirring until it begins to thicken. Once it thickens, let is simmer for 10 minutes more over low heat, stirring occasionally.
5. Add half the package of frozen peas (add more if you really like peas!) to the chicken and veggies mixture. Pour the white sauce over everything, stirring to coat. Transfer the mixture to a glass baking dish (9x9 square is a good size).
6. In a separate bowl, mix together Bisquick mix, milk and egg (note: if the batter is too runny, just keep mixing in Bisquick mix until it thickens). Pour over the chicken and veggies.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the biscuit topping is golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Yowza, was it gooooood. I'm sure glad my original plans were foiled by my inability to wake up on time. And the husband couldn't stop raving. Really, he's never gone on and on about something I've cooked. This one's a keeper. And like I said on Facebook, no way does this jive with any New Year's Resolution, unless yours involves a comfort food diet.... But it sure is good for the soul!

What's your go-to comfort food? Have you ever set out to make something that came out far more stellar than expected? I want to hear all about it!

Happy eating!

xoxo
J