Easy as Pie Almost Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes you just have to cheat a little with some shortcut products. 

I've said it before and I freely admit it, I make terrible chicken gravy. Of course, my mother set the bar incredibly high with her homemade gravy, and my friend Mary set it even higher with her perfect cream gravy. Me.......... I have to stick with gravy mix or gravy in a jar to have edible chicken gravy. Unlike gravy, pastry is my area of expertise. Really. It's not hard to make pastry but I make REALLY good, super flaky, buttery pastry. But that also means dragging out my food processor, flouring the table, rolling pin, and rolling it out. Some days I'm really thankful for ready-made pastry!

I really love pot pie. It's so homey and simple, but filling, comforting- just the thing on a cold, drizzly gray day. Chunky chicken, mixed vegetables (my favorite!) and rich gravy bubbling away under a crisp pastry crust, this is really comfort food. It's not only comfort food, it's super easy to make with just a few store-bought shortcuts. This easy pot pie gets a big flavor boost from Feiny's Everything Rub. You want to try this stuff, folks. You can get yours by clicking HERE.  Now, for the recipe-

• 1 refrigerated pastry sheet (the rolled kind)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 potato, cut into cubes
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (allow to thaw for an hour or so)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 jar chicken gravy (about a cup and a half)
• 2 teaspoons Feiny's Everything Rub (plus more for poaching chicken)

Set the pastry out to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the chicken in a stockpot and cover with water. Season with salt and pepper and a couple shakes of Feiny's Everything Rub. Bring to boil over medium high heat, then simmer until done (usually about 15 minutes or so). Cover and let rest.

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and potato. Cook and stir for a couple minutes, then add the water. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the mixed vegetables. When the water has mostly evaporated, remove from heat add the gravy and the Feiny's Everything Rub. Mix well.

Can't finish any recipe without some Feiny's Everything Rub

Remove the chicken from the pot and cut into cubes. Add to the vegetable mixture. Unroll the sheet of pastry dough and place over the top, pressing to seal around the edge of the skillet. Cut slits in the pastry and pop into the hot oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until deep golden brown and gravy is bubbling. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just heat everything in a skillet and transfer to an oven-safe baking dish.

Super easy, almost homemade pot pie! This is a great way to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving too- just use about 2 cups of cubed turkey instead of chicken and some leftover turkey gravy. I like mine deep dish style with only a top crust but you can also line a deep pie pan with pastry, add the filling and top crust and bake about an hour.

Now, just a quick note about Feiny's Rubs- I love supporting friends and their business ventures, and Feiny's is the company founded by Adam Feinberg, a chef and pitmaster from Denver. He has a nice line of rubs already with more in development. You can find out more about Adam and his rubs by visiting Fein Tasting Foods.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."