Like many other large families in the 1960s who were trying to keep within a food budget, I was always looking for ways to stretch a dollar but still provide nutritious and flavorful food. So, I often bought a large fryer chicken, and after baking it, I usually could pick off some meat from the bones to freeze for later use. A few days later, I’d make a large 9-by-13-inch pan of chicken pot pie, adding carrots, peas, potatoes, onion and celery to the leftover de-boned chicken that I cooked in a thickened gravy.
Leftover turkey or even leftover roast beef worked well, too. When I made the pot pies, I’d just make two pie crusts, put one of them in the bottom of the pan, topped with the meat and vegetables and then the other crust. I usually rolled out the top crust, cut it into strips and laid the strips across the filling in a lattice fashion. If you’re not feeding too many people, you can just use an 8- or 9-inch pie plate and less crust.
Old habits are hard to break, and I still make pot pies like this, only now I make smaller versions of it for just two. Recently I found a “Turkey Pot Pie Soup” recipe that’s made in a slow cooker. I tried it out, but I didn’t have time to slow cook it, so I made it on top of the stove in a fraction of the time and it didn’t detract from the flavor at all. This is a good way to use leftover chicken as well. Served with a sandwich, it makes a filling meal!
SLOW COOKER TURKEY POT PIE SOUP
4 cups water
3 teaspoons chicken bouillon
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes or shredded fresh potatoes
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 to 3 cups cooked turkey, diced
3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained or 4 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Biscuits to serve on the side (optional)
Salt to taste
Add water to bouillon and place it along with the hash browns, turkey, bacon and mushrooms in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove lid and stir in peas and carrots.
Turn cooker on high. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Stir until smooth. Then stir the cornstarch mixture into slow cooker until all is smooth.
Add the cubed cream cheese into the hot mixture in slow cooker. Stir until completely melted and add butter. Let cook on high until soup is thickened, around 10 to 15 minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste. Ladle into bowls. Serves 6.
Note: If mixture becomes too thick, you can add a little water until preferred thickness is obtained. When I made this on top of the stove, I cooked together with 4 cups of water, the chicken bouillon, potatoes, peas and carrots, turkey, bacon, and mushrooms until all were tender. Then I mixed the cornstarch in 1/4 cup water to thicken the soup and added the butter and cream cheese cubes, stirring over low heat on top of the stove until they were melted and soup was smooth. I added last the salt and pepper, tasting first to see how much salt was needed as the bouillon is already salty.
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