Chicken pot pie

This was scrumptious.
Which is lucky for me, because I will be eating leftovers for a long time. A loooong time.

I pieced the recipe together after reading a bunch online, like this one. Pot pies are convenient because you can put whatever you want into them. Presto, deliciousness.

Ingredients:

- 1 pkg. chicken thighs (3-4 small thighs)
- 1 frozen pie crust, thawed
- 1 lrg. potato
- 1 c. frozen peas
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- handful spinach
- asparagus, broccoli, green beans, mushrooms - whatever you have around
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
- tabasco sauce
- 3 c. chicken stock
- 1/2 c. flour
- salt and pepper
- fresh parsley, if you have it

First, boil a large pot of water and poach your chicken thighs ~10 minutes. They don't have to be aaallll the way cooked through. Cut them up into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

Now, make the filling. Melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a large pan (I know. This is very rich.) Add the potatoes and the onion and garlic and saute ~5 minutes. Add the chicken and then, the veggies (if you are using frozen veggies, heat them in the microwave first and drain the excess water). Saute everything another 10 minutes or so. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Set everything aside.

Now for the sauce! Melt a stick of butter (I told you this was rich...) in a large saucepan and gradually whisk in up to 1/2 c. of flour (it should thicken but not be glue-like, ew). Whisk in up to 3 c. of chicken stock, a cup at a time. The sauce should be the consistency of, oh, New England clam chowder, I'd say. Only smoother. Add the tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.

Time to fill the pie pan(s)! You can use one very big (deep) pie pan or two smaller ones. Spoon the veggie-chicken mix into the pan(s) and top with sauce. Take one pie crust and cover each pan. Pinch the edges and brush the pie crust with a little bit of milk so it will brown nicely. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the crust is golden-brown and the filling bubbles.