A while ago I attempted to make a chicken pot pie ‘off recipe’ … flying by the seat of my pants.  I was sad to report on IBB that it turned out less than stellar experience.  In the attempts of creating what I thought was going to be an ‘impossible-to-screw-up-dish’, I over-thought it, and designed a flaccid, sad looking pot pie filled with an uninspired chicken stuffing.  It was so labor-intensive that I almost psyched myself out of making pot pies for lunch ever again.  Luckily, I kept bumping into recipes for it in cooking newsletters and eventually tried to give it a whirl again.

What drew me to this version was the secret: to start with rotisserie chicken.  The part of me who wants to do everything from scratch is silently screaming in my head.  But for a recipe that’s desperately in need of a shortcut, I finally reconciled that it’s a great place to start.  It’s roasted chicken, so it’s soft and full of flavor, and hopefully not too dried out.

Then you lay on the flavors. Start with the aromatics – onions and celery, and cook until tender.  Add chicken broth, thicken with a roux, and add your chicken back before you lay the necessary amount of filler to round out the dish, wrap in a rich pie crust, and wah la!  It’s really simple (yes, i know the recipe is long. that doesn’t mean it’s hard though, i swear), and just a super comforting version of pot pie.

» Read more: Chicken Pot Pie, Take 2