Chicken Pot Pie

1 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. dry thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
3/4 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
5 c. cooked chicken
1 ½ c. thinly sliced carrots
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas
1 c. unflavored yogurt
1 c. Cheddar cheese, grated
1 unbaked pie crust (9-inch)
1 large egg, beaten



In a 5-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine butter, onion, thyme and bay leaf. Stir often until onion is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water; stir to release browned bits and cook until liquid evaporates. Mix broth with cornstarch. To pan, add chicken, carrots. peas, yogurt and 2/3 cornstarch mixture; stir until boil¬ing. Let cool; stir in remaining cornstarch mixture.

Pour filling into a 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with cheese. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 10-inch diameter round. With a cookie cutter, cut 1 or 2 pieces from center of pastry; reserve cutouts. Lay pastry over filling. Fold edges under and flush with pan rim, flute firmly against rim's top with cutouts. Brush pastry and cutouts with egg. Bake in a 400° oven on lowest rack until pastry is well browned and filling hot in the center, 40 to 55 minutes. If pastry rim or cutouts brown exces¬sively before center is brown, drape rim and cover cutouts with foil.

You can make your own pie crust, but I have found the one avail¬able in the dairy case at the market works just as well.