Pot Pie Soup

Even though the weather is warming up there are still random days of cold and rain.

"April showers bring May flowers." Am I right?

So for those cold days, where you are craving a warm pot pie with flaky crust, but are too lazy to wait an hour for it to bake, this soup is for you.

It has all of the flavors of a pot pie and is amazing dunked with these pie crust "crackers".

For the Soup:
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
dash of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 2 % milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons chicken bullion
2 cups cooked chicken (I used 2 breasts), diced
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas

For the Pie Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon shortening
3-4 Tablespoons cold water

Start by making the pie crust:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until the size of peas. Slowly add in water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.

In a stock pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add the seasonings to the onions and cook for 1 minute.
Add in the flour and whisk until bubbly, usually 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in milk, heavy cream, and water until the lumps are smoothed and incorporated.
Add in the chicken bullion and continue to whisk until liquid comes to a simmer. Turn heat to low and add in the chicken and veggies. Continue to simmer, over low heat, for about 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and soup is thickened.

While the soup is simmering, remove pie crust from the fridge and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust to 1/4" thickness.
Cut out circles of the crust with cookie cutters, fun little shapes, or simply slice into squares with a pizza cutter.
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet and place cut pie dough on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Remove and allow to cool slightly.

Scoop bowl fulls of soup and top or serve with pie crust "crackers".

Enjoy this warm and filling soup... An ode to pot pie!