No "Cream of ____" Chicken Pot Pie

Who wants to learn how to make chicken pot pie without using 'cream of ________'? I know that in a lot of southern recipes that this ingredient is a must, but in the attempt to making as much as I can from scratch, I knew there has to be a different way. After all, chicken pot pie has been around long before canned foods ever ever invented. I also find a deep sense of satisfaction in creating a dinner from ingredients that I can already find in my well stocked kitchen. 

So after a little bit of research and some tips from other very good cooks (Ina Garten and Motherhood on the Rocks) I came up with my rendition of chicken pot pie - no canned soup!

Note: this recipe is enough for 2 individual servings.

You will need:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (We love Zaycon Fresh chicken breasts, read at the bottom of the post why!)
salt, pepper
olive oil
salt
pepper

1/4 onion, thickly sliced

1 carrot (or 5 baby carrots), thickly sliced
1/2 cup of peas
1/2 cup of corn
1 cup of chicken broth (here's a really simple recipe for how to make broth in a crockpot)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp thyme
1/4 c of flour
1/2 c milk or cream
Pie crust - make it yourself! Here's my favorite pie crust recipe using a food processor. I omit the sugar and use salted butter. If you want to make a really great crust, I love this buttermilk pie crust. You can sub soured milk (1T vinegar to 1 cup of milk) for the buttermilk.
This will make 2 pot pies in 16 oz size Corningware Ramekins.

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil onto your chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. Place on a tinfoil lined baking dish and bake until done - about 20 minutes or so.
3. Remove the chicken breast from the oven and shred or chop. Alternatively, if you have left over chicken from another meal use that!
4. Meanwhile drizzle a little more olive oil in a pan and gently sautee the onion until it is translucent. Add your carrots, peas and corn. Sautee for a few minutes.
5. Pour the chicken broth over the veggies and bring to a quick boil, reduce to medium and allow to cook until the carrots are soft.
6. Season with garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper (to taste).
7. To thicken the filling, add a little bit of flour at a time. Stir quickly and efficiently so that you don't get clumps. This probably won't take the whole 1/4 cup - it may only be a few tablespoons. It depends on how much of your stock has evaporated.
8. Add the chopped chicken.
9. Simmer for a few minutes to get everything nice and happy. Then stir in the cream until it is well incorporated and remove from heat.
10. Spray your ramekins with non-stick spray and pour in your filling. Don't fill it to the brim, leave a little bit of room.
11. Meanwhile, prepare your pie crust. Alternatively, you can use pre-made pie crust but home made is soooo much better.
12. Lay the rolled out crust on top of your ramekins and run a rolling pin over the top to cut off the excess.

Use a fork to crimp the edge all nice and pretty, and sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt. Cut 3-4 slits into the crust.
13. Place back into the 350 degree oven and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and you can see the filling bubbling underneath.

As a growing family of 4 I make it a goal to source the best quality meat at the best prices. That's why I buy all of our meat through Zaycon Fresh. Every 6 months I order 80 lbs of fresh chicken breasts and I cut them into individual dinner serving sizes and freeze. We've saved hundreds of dollars in the price of meat as well as I always have the convenience of not having to go to the grocery store to purchase meats. Sign up for Zaycon Fresh and see all the different meats you can buy - beef, pork, chicken, sausages, bacon, turkey and more! By signing up for Zaycon Fresh I get a referral bonus, so thanks in advance for helping me feed my family!