Easy as Pie Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

See what I did there with that title?  ;)  Yeah, I'm clever.  :)

Okay, after making this dish, I decided I didn't like certain aspects of it.  The "pie" was a little dry and there was just a little too much chicken in the mix.  So don't pay attention to the picture, pay attention to the recipe, because I tweaked it a bit.  (Also, pardon the crappy photos.  I am taking pictures in my kitchen, with poor lighting, and just a basic camera [and less than basic understanding of photography].)

Okay, so the history behind this recipe is that it is based on my mother's chicken pot pie (which I love), but I wanted to play around with it a bit to see if I could make it better and easier.   My first realization was that no way no how was I going to make a better pie crust than her, so I cheated and used a store bought crust:  not as good as Mom's, but MUCH better than previous attempts that I have made at making crust.  My second realization was that I could just dump all this into a crock pot (minus the crust), rather than having to mess with the original instructions of adding ingredients in throughout the cooking process.  My third and final realization is that you don't have to cube chicken that has been cooked in a crockpot.  You can just shred it with a fork.  Easy, right?

As with the previous recipe, you can make this your own by adding, subtracting, or amending quantities of items listed.  I am thinking it would make a wicked turkey pot pie.  You can also double this recipe (which I did) and make two pies, then freeze one for later.  You can also make individual pies, using a muffin pan, but you'd have to adjust cooking time accordingly.

The recipe:

You will need:

*One two-crust ready-made pie crust.  (I like Pillsbury.)
*2 skinless chicken breasts
*3 carrots, diced into small cubes
*1/3 white onion, diced
*1 can cream of mushroom soup + 1 can water
*pinch of dried parsley
*1/2 c. fresh mushrooms (canned okay)
*2/3 c. peas
*1/2 stick butter (1/4 c.)
*1 t. poultry seasoning (or be brave, like me, and just toss in whatever seasonings sound good)
*dash of seasoned salt

Put everything except the crust in the crock pot, put that puppy on low and leave it alone for 4-6 hours, or until you get around to it, whichever comes later.

Follow the instructions on the pie crust to make a two-crust pie.  Put the first crust in a standard baking pie dish.  Put in your filling (approx 4 cups).

Put the second crust on top, and do whatever you need to do to make the crust look presentable.  (I folded the top crust over the bottom, then just made thumb impressions all the way around.)  Cut a little slit in the center to let steam out.

I baked mine at 325F for an hour.  If you want a darker crust, you could bake it at 350F or 375F, but I would set the timer for 15-20 mins and check to make sure you don't overcook it.  Remember, all you are really cooking is the crust, since the filling is already cooked.  Once the top looks nice and brown, your pie is done!

Cut a slice and enjoy!!