Chicken Brat Pie

I grew up on hearty, delicious, simple comfort food. To this day, my favorite foods revolve around the recipes my mom made for me when I was a kid. One of my ultimate favorites and what I always want when I’m sick is not chicken noodle soup, (cause I’m a fat kid at heart) but is chicken pot pie. But how can I take the classically awesome chicken pot pie and make it bad-assedly awesome? By adding something even more awesome, right?

Everyone says that bacon makes everything better. Not that I disagree with this sentiment. Obviously. But I think that bacon is stealing the spotlight from other foods that “make everything better”. Cheese. Salt. Sausage. Well, today is sausage’s day. Come forth from the shadows, sausage! It’s your time to be featured!

Oh my god I’m salivating. It’s disgusting, really.

So as a thank you to my mom for instilling in me, my love of cooking and my base recipes that I carry with me in my heart and in my kitchen.

I now present to you… (deep breath)… Chicken Brat Pie.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom.

Chickenbrat, chickenbrat, chicken brat piiiieeee!

Chicken Brat Pie
2 cups chicken thighs, diced
1 lb bratwurst, sliced
3 shallots, diced
8 oz. pale ale or Belgian beer (I used the Belgian Pale Ale from Ommegang, I’m in love with it.)
½ stick butter
½  cup carrots, cut into coins
½ cup sweet potato, diced
½ cup portobello mushrooms, diced
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup water
½ cup flour
½ cup frozen peas
1 ½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
2 pie crusts (use store-bought or this recipe: My Favorite Classic Pie Crust Recipe)

 If making a homemade crust, do that.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Melt butter, add shallots. Cook for 2 minutes to soften. Add chicken and brats and cook for 10 or so minutes to brown a little. Add beer and simmer till cooked through.

Add in carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and broth. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer till potatoes and carrots are soft. 20ish minutes. 30? Depends how big you chopped your crap.

Combine flour and water with a whisk. Add to pot, slowly and return to a boil until it’s thick and creamy. Add in peas, nutmeg, garlic powder and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lay pie crust in pie dish and shape it.*

Add in chicken mixture. Add top of crust.**

Brush with egg wash.

Cook at 375°F for 40 minutes (crust will be golden brown).

Let stand to cool. Serve.

*NOTE: You can also make several small ones in ramekins. You’ll only need to bake for about a half hour for those. They are great for entertaining and freaking adorable. I did both, so I sort of have a mama pie and baby pies. Awww….

**DOUBLE NOTE: If you are topping with a standard crust, make sure to cut slits in the top so it can breathe. If you want to get fancy and do a lattice crust like I tried to do… let your filling cool or weave it BEFORE putting it on. I learned the hard way. The heat makes the crust super hard to work with and you will end up with a pretty fugly lattice. (See pictures.)