Mom's Chicken Pot Pie

1 3-lb. chicken OR 3 lb. chicken breast (I usually just use 3 large bone- in chicken breasts
1 onion
2 stalks celery (I usually omit these and the broth is still plenty tasty)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas and carrots, cooked
1 c. frozen baby onions, cooked
2 large potatoes, cooked and cut in cubes
1/3 c. margarine
1/3 c. flour
3 c. reserved chicken broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Pastry for 9” 1-crust pie

Place chicken, 1 onion, and celery in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour until meat is tender. (Tip: When using the bone-in chicken breast, I often just throw them in frozen and the cooking time is still plenty for them to get done--I usually simmer for the full hour.)

Strain off broth into a bowl and place in refrigerator until needed. Remove meat from bones in large chunks. Discard bones, onion, and celery.

Place meat in a 13”x9” pan with cooked peas and carrots, baby onions and potatoes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium saucepan, melt butter. Add flour; stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in 3 c. reserved broth and cook, stirring, until thickened.
Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour gravy over meat and vegetables in pan.

Top with pastry which has been rolled out to fit top of pan. Cut several slits in pastry. Bake 35 to 45 minutes at 350.

MOM’S OIL PIE CRUST

1 1/3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/3 c. oil
3-5 T. milk

Stir together flour and salt in a small-med. bowl. Measure oil into glass measuring cup, add milk to oil. Pour milk and oil into the flour/salt mixture. Combine with a fork till it forms a nice ball of dough. Take a wet dishcloth and wash off a section of your counter. Lay a large piece of wax paper on the wet area (so it’ll stick). Put the dough on the wax paper and lay another piece of wax paper on top. Roll out the dough to desired size and shape between the 2 pieces of wax paper. This works really well and saves you having to flour the counter!

**Many people don’t like an oil crust, but this is what my mom and I use for nearly all our pies, and we really like it. Jim also loves it. It’s good and easy, and tasty too. :)