Chicken Pot Pie Base

Pot pie.. one of my husbands favorite. I had never made it before but thought that I would put up the filling so that when I wasn't home he would be able to heat it up, add Clear Jel to thicken it, and then cut the pie crust to fit. He could pop it in the oven just to heat and cook the crust. 

Note: This is a raw pack recipe so none of the ingredients going into the jars other than the boiling water are heated. 

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion
1 1/2 cup frozen peas (thawed - I used peas with pearl onions)
4-5 cups diced raw chicken (I used thighs but traditional is white meat)
3 T. mixed dried herbs - thyme, parsley, basil 
pinch salt and pepper
3 qt. water

Preparation: Prepare 7 pint jars or you can double and triple this recipe. Sanitizing and keeping them hot for packing. Prep all the vegetables.

Cooking: In a large stainless steel pot heat the water to add to the jars. If you have a hot pot for water you can use that to heat your water for these jars. 

Filling the jars: On a dishtowel place your hot jars. Using your funnel in each jar fill with 1/3- 1/2 cup chicken chunks, and then 1/2 cup mixed vegetables. Add 1/4 t. of the mixed herbs to each of the jars. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired. Add boiling water to each jar and fill to 1” headspace. Using a bubble remover take out the air and refill to proper headspace if necessary.   Taking a clean paper towel wet it with vinegar and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".

Processing: Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the pressure canner and place the jars in bottom. Lock the lid and turn up the heat bring the canner to a boil. Vent steam for 10 minutes then close the vent by adding the weighted gauge or pressure regulator (for dial gauge canner). Process for 75 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure (11 lbs for dial gauge canner) for pints. If you choose to do quarts they should be processed for 90 minutes. (Adjust pressure for altitude) When complete turn off the heat and let pressure return to zero naturally. Wait two minutes longer and open vent. Remove canner lid. Wait 10 minutes then remove jars and place on dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning. Your stock may still be boiling inside the jars. That is normal!

Sealing: Sometime in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some jars may take overnight to seal. Check your lids the next day and reprocess any jars that did not seal. Remove rings for storage.

Labeling: Make sure to label your jars after they have cooled with the name of the recipe and the date canned. If you want to use the shrink labels in the picture you can order them Here!

To make the Pot Pie

You can thicken with your own recipe but this is what I did using Clear Jel. Usually the pot pie filling has a flour and butter roux or cream but I wanted this to be as simple and delicious without all the extra fat. 

For each pie heat one pint of filling for a small pie or two for a deep dish. In a small bowl add 1 T. of Clear Jel for every pint jar heating. If you like your filling thicker use 1 1/2T. per pint. Add equal amount of water and mix Clear Jel till it resembles milk. 

Heat the filling in a saucepan till it comes to a low boil. Add the mixed Clear Jel and stir continuously for one minute. Turn off heat. 

Using an oven safe dish ladle the filling to the top of the dish leaving 1/4" for bubbling. Add the pie crust and pinch around the dish to seal the filling inside. Cut a slit on the top of the pastry so it can vent. Because the filling is already cooked you only cooking the crust. You will put the dish in the oven at 450ºF for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

Completed Pot Pie