Cozy comfort food

To welcome autumn, what could be better than a hot chicken pot pie? Instead of making the pastry from scratch, buy a frozen two-crust pie dough and use inexpensive rotisserie chicken as your base. This recipe calls for the chicken in chunks, which gives it a better texture than if shredded. Usually, market rotisserie chicken is highly seasoned, so additional salt is not needed. Canned soup provides the creamy base. Add frozen peas, carrots and canned mushrooms for the classic combination. If you don’t like carrots, add only peas. This simple version is quick and satisfying. If desired, you can add cooked potatoes or breadfruit and even onions. After topping the pie with the second crust, brush it with a beaten egg so it emerges from the oven after 35 minutes with an appetizing golden crust. Enjoy a semi-homemade autumn classic — easy style.

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 2-crust, 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie dough, defrosted

• 2 1/2 cups cooked rotisserie boneless chicken meat (about 1/3 whole chicken), cut in 1/2-inch cubes

• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted

• 1 6.5-ounce can (drained 4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

• 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup, substitute cream of mushroom

• 1/2 cup water (Note: if using a regular pie crust, not deep dish, add only 1/4 cup water)

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Defrost the pie dough according to directions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix cubed chicken, peas and carrots, mushrooms, water and pepper. Pour into pie shell. Cover with second pie dough and seal the edges with a fork or by using your hands. Cut at least ~ ve slits in the top. Brush top with egg. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings as a main dish.

Lynette Lo Tom is the author of A Chinese Kitchen, Back in the Day and Yum Yum Cha: Let’s Eat Dim Sum in Hawaii. Send her your easy recipes to lynette@brightlightcookery.com