First of all, this recipe is going make an assumption that you are going to use pre-purchased pie crusts, for convenience sake. And I didn't want to have to include a pie crust recipe here for several reasons. Making a good pie crust is a learned skill and this recipe is supposed to be easy.
You will need:
Pie Crust
1-2 cups of leftover chicken or turkey, cut into bite sized pieces. Make sure to remove any bones, skin, fat, etc.
1 can or pkg. of mixed peas and carrots
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces chicken stock (or canned chicken broth)**
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or use equivalent powdered)
Salt
Pepper
Poultry seasoning (optional)
Cornstarch
Butter or oil for sauteeing the onion
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
(If you choose to make this pie with only a top crust, which is perfectly acceptable and up to the cook's discretion, leave out this next part, although you probably need to read it.)
You can make this pie in almost any sized baking dish. I prefer my 9 inch square clay baker but I have made it in a 13 X 9 inch pan. (You can take this basic recipe and put the pie together anyway you choose. If you want your pie to be thick, put it in a smaller dish, if thinner, put it in a bigger one. There is no wrong way to do that part. You just need to make sure your crust covers the entire top and bottom of whatever you choose to use.) Spray your baking dish with cooking spray or rub with oil. Cover the entire bottom of the dish with pie crust. No need to cover sides, just the bottom will do, unless you want the sides crusted. Your choice. Prick with a fork and bake until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven. If you do not pre-bake the bottom crust, it will be doughy and soggy.
FILLING:
You can use chicken or turkey for this recipe. (*I have occasionally made a vegetarian version. I will include those instx below. I made this once with the left overs from a pot roast and it was good, too, but I would recommend using beef stock if you try that version.)
Saute onion with garlic and onions until just starting to turn soft. Lower heat to med-low. Add the meat and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. It is not necessary but you can also add some poultry seasoning if you like but go easy on it. Remember that a little goes a long way.). Add peas and carrots (well drained) to the mixture and stir. Add chicken stock. In a small container, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in COLD water and stir until it is completely dissolved. Add to mixture and stir well. Let continue to simmer until thickened. There should be little or no liquid left in your filling.
Spread your chicken filling over the pre-baked crust. Add top crust, prick with fork. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.
Try serving this with orange cranberry relish, also easy because it is just a can of whole cranberry sauce with
a squeeze of fresh orange juice and about 3 tablespoons of orange zest, mixed well and chilled.
*Make a vegetarian version of this by substituting cooked, cubed potatoes for the chicken/turkey and using mixed soup vegetables, instead of just peas and carrots and a little more onion. It was also very good.
**Using canned soups instead of chicken stock and cornstarch will work okay but it will give you a moister filling. I would use cream of chicken, cream of celery...cream of something or other...but remember that the soup will be highly flavored and salted so you will need to adjust for that.
Note if you are making your own crusts:
On the rare occasions when I do bake, I do not used white flour for obvious reasons. However, I do not use whole wheat flour like most people think of it. I use Wheat Montana products, specifically the Prairie Gold flour. It is whole wheat but made from a lighter type of wheat that what most people think of a whole wheat. It is naturally light in color, the flavor is delicate and it has all the nutritional value of whole wheat. It is also non-GMO, has no chemicals in it and is, in some ways, superior to wheat grown organically. You can order it online if you can't find it in your supermarket.
