Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

1 chicken
water
1 large potato peeled and cut into small cubes
1 large carrot peeled and cut into small cubes
1 onion cut into small pieces
2 handfuls spinach roughly chopped
salt 
pepper
ground rosemary and thyme
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
water

--------------------



1.  Place the whole chicken in a large pot and add in enough water to just cover the chicken.  Season with salt.  (I used about 3 tablespoons but season to your taste, you can always add more at the end if it's not salty enough.)
2.  Put the pot over high heat until the chicken is cooked the whole way through (20-30 minutes).
3.  Keep the pot on the stove.  Remove the chicken and take the meat off the bones.
4.  Put the potato, carrot, and onion into the water and boil for about 10-15 minutes until fork tender.
5.  Add the chicken back in along with the spinach and pepper, ground rosemary and thyme (I used about 1/2 tablespoon of each) and allow to simmer.
6.  In a small pan melt the butter over medium heat.
7.  Mix in the 1/3 cup flour until it turns a light golden color.
8.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream until it is smooth and lump free.
9.  Add about a cup of broth from the soup pot into the flour mixture and whisk.  Then add the whole thing to the big pot and stir.  Keep it at a simmer,
10.  Mix together the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the egg.  
11.  Add in water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball but isn't sticky.
12.  Roll out the dough and cut into 3 inch squares.
13.  Drop the dough squares into the boiling soup and let cook for about 15 minutes (check that they are cooked through by cutting one in half).

---------------------------------------------------------
My husband and I were both knocked out this week with the flu.  I started to feel better today and wanted to make chicken noodle soup.  I started the base and realized the only pasta I had in the house was bow-tie and I didn't feel right about putting it into the soup.  

Then I remembered Chicken Pot Pie, not the kind that comes in an actual pie, but the creamy soupy goodness that my mom and grandmas used to make when I was a little girl on cold Pennsylvania nights.  Eating a bowl of this brought back so many memories.  It was like a warm hug from my mom and grandmas.