Chop-less Chicken Pot Pie

So, I'm not generally a casserole person.  I just don't really like all of my meal smooshed (apparently smooshed is not a word?!) up in one dish.  I like order and sanity in my meals.  Meat here.     Veggies waaay over here.   Starch, in the other corner.  Never shall they touch or mingle.  But, almost 5 years ago I got married and learned all about compromise.  My husband loves his food all together.  The more food groups in one pan, the happier the man gets.  So, I've learned to appreciate a few basic casseroles to keep him happy.  One of my favorite is a chicken pot pie.  It looks like you put hours and hours of work in to it, but in under an hour you can have two pies ready to eat or freeze.  My method skips the chopped carrots and celery in favor of frozen veggies, but you can use what you prefer.  I have bad luck with fresh veggies in my house.  I either have to buy it just for a certain recipe, or I find it weeks down the road, making friends with mold in the bottom of my fridge.  I have really good luck with frozen vegetables--I get variety, and they still have that fresh flavor.  I used the pie crust recipe from the Pioneer Woman's Cook Book (Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl) which I highly recommend for pot pies and other savory uses.  In my (very humble) opinion, it's too crumbly to work in a situation where you want to cut out the perfect slice of pie. Hope you give this a try--it's the perfect fall comfort food.

P.S.  I have no idea what I was going for with the 3 little circles on the pie crust.  Let's pretend it's super creative.  

 Chicken Pot Pie
(Makes 2 8-inch pies)
2 Pie Crusts (Perfect Pie Crust or Store bought, or Crust of Choice)
2 Standard bags of frozen mixed vegetables
4 Tbl butter
2 Cups shredded cooked chicken (3 roasted breasts or 1 whole roaster)
1/4 Cup flour
1 3/4  Cup chicken broth
1/4 Cup white wine (optional)
3/4 Cup heavy cream
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the frozen vegetables and saute until soft.  Add the chicken and stir.  Add the flour to the pan and cook for a few minutes.  Add in the chicken broth and wine while stirring.  Pour in the cream.  Stir gently to combine and then allow to cook over low heat until thick.  Season with thyme, red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.  Pour the mixture into one 9x13 pan or 2 pie plates.  Cover with crust(s) and slit the top.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling in bubbly.

If you freeze the second pie, bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes directly from the freezer.

This post is linked to A Little Nosh's Tastetastic Thursday, check out all of the great recipes there.