Pot Pie Experiement take 1...

Jen said:

I have been endeavoring to make a great homemade chicken pot pie that
is healthier and better than those on the market. I wanted it to have
a crust made from baking mix (I am using Trader Joe's brand) as
opposed to pie crust, since I am trying to completely stay away from
all things partially hydrogenated. Here's what happened on my first
test: (sorry but I am terrible with amounts/measurements)
[snip ingredients]

Quoted message said:

Water, stock, veggies, seasonings, herbs in pan, bring to boil.

Sauteed the chicken with all the spices on both sides, about 5 minutes
each side. Then added some water and simmered for another 5 min. or
so. Cubed the chicken, then added all to the boiling water. Cover;
simmered for about 1 hour. [snip the crust]

So you made a soup/stew, it seems. I think of pot pie differently,
though I don't know that my approach is any more valid than yours.
Instead of making a stew and pouring it
between bottom and top crusts, I cook the ingredients (sweat the
veggies in a little oil and butter, poach the chicken) and fold them
into a velouté sauce. Then cover with a crust and bake. Mine usually
gets a few scrapes of nutmeg, too. I don't use a bottom crust because
I don't find it possible to keep it from sogginess and because I serve
it over rice anyway. -aem

Jen said:

I have been endeavoring to make a great homemade chicken pot pie that
is healthier and better than those on the market. I wanted it to have
a crust made from baking mix (I am using Trader Joe's brand) as
opposed to pie crust, since I am trying to completely stay away from
all things partially hydrogenated. Here's what happened on my first
test: (sorry but I am terrible with amounts/measurements)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
water (about 1 qt.)
stock (store bought, organic aseptic container)
Better Than Boullion (my first time using it) about 1 Tbls.
poultry seasoning, black pepper, pinch basil,
fresh sage, thyme
salt
carrots
celery
pearl onions, 1/2 red onion
yukon gold potatoes
peas
mushrooms

for later:
evaporated milk; water/flour mixture to thicken

Water, stock, veggies, seasonings, herbs in pan, bring to boil.

Sauteed the chicken with all the spices on both sides, about 5 minutes
each side. Then added some water and simmered for another 5 min. or
so. Cubed the chicken, then added all to the boiling water. Cover;
simmered for about 1 hour.

Crust: I made the recipe per the box, for drop biscuits, which was my
first mistake, as it was too soft. Pressed it into an 8x8 glass cake
pan to see what would happen and it got all puffy. So, I decided to
let it bake, and then I transferred it to a big deep dish bowl, where
I did my best to smash it into the sides and bottom.

Once the crust was ready (it wasn't pretty but it looked like it might
work) I added the evaporated milk, brought the stew back to a boil and
slowly added the flour-water to thicken. It tunred out to be a HUGE
amount of stew, so I only used about half of it in this small pan. The
rest I set aside for my second try. Once it was a good consistancy, I
poured it on the crust and dropped some more of the biscuit dough on
top, then put it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

The result was delicious, if not pretty. Since I had some left over
biscuit dough, I added more mix to firm it up, then pressed it into a
smaller baking dish. This time, I think I'll get the desired effect.
I'm so proud that it's all natural, all fresh, since most of the veg
and the fresh herbs came from the Farmer's Market. I'm sorry I
couldn't have been more precise with my measurements for the groups'
sake! Oh, and the Better than Boullion-great stuff! And no MSG! I'm
glad I decided to give it a try.

Anybody have any tips? It was fun, but is the definition of trial and
error. I'm only glad that I didn't try to put the stew on the unbaked
crust!

Sounds like a good first effort! Here's an alternative:

Chicken Pot Pie with Phyllo
Courtesy of Cooking Light, 1986

2 lbs. chicken thighs, skinned and boned
1 med. onion, chopped
1 med. sized [censored] apple, peeled and chopped
2 med. carrots, chopped
1-1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 med. red or green pepper, chopped
1 c. chopped green onion
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. dried whole thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. chicken broth
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley
2 Tbs. unsalted butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbs. lemon juice
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine with next 10 ingredients in a large
pot. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour or until chicken pieces are tender,
stirring frequently. Combine cornstarch, water and Worcestershire sauce in
a small bowl. Stir into chicken mixture. Add parsley and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat. Transfer to a 10" deep pie plate sprayed with cooking spray.
Combine butter and lemon juice in a bowl. Place one phyllo sheet on a flat
surface; brush lightly with a small amount of the butter mixture. Repeat
procedure with remaining 7 phyllo sheets, arranging them on top of each
other to form a stack. Cut into 10 inch round and place over the chicken
mixture, pressing the dough to the edge of the plate to seal. Cut slits in
the top of the phyllo. Use trimmings to decorate the top if desired. Brush
top with remaining butter mixture. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until
the top of the pie is golden brown.

Jill