Monday, February 4, 2013

Chicken Pot Pie 2

 
Okay, I admit it, we've visited Chicken Pot Pie before.  And yes, that recipe is still one of my favorites.  However, this is the perfect recipe for when you are just too busy to make pie crust, and you want to throw something hearty and healthy together quickly.
 
I apologize for not having a picture of the entire product, but Laela was yanking on my pant leg telling me that she was "STARVING", so chicken pot pie with a hunk cut out is what you get.
 
Easy Chicken Pot Pie (mostly from scratch!)
 
You'll need:
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry
  • 2 chicken breasts (can be leftover from roasted chicken- that's what I used)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 potatoes, chopped
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1Tb butter
  • 1Tb flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth/stock
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions:
  • Preheat your oven to 425-degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat.  Add a few glugs of olive oil.
  • Place the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes in the pan to cook for about ten minutes.  Stir occasionally.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, heat a medium saucepan to medium-high heat.
  • Add the butter and flour.  Whisk until they are well combined.  Do not allow it to brown. 
  • Pour the chicken stock/broth into the pan with the butter/flour mixture.  Whisk until it thickens to an almost gravy consistency.
  • Mix in the rosemary (I cut my rosemary with scissors to make it nice and easily diced) and thyme leaves.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • If using raw chicken, cut it into cubes.  Put it in the pastry dish.
  • Add the cooked vegetables, frozen peas, and the chicken stock/broth mixture to the pastry pan.  Gently stir the ingredients together.  They'll meld together well while they bake, so don't go overboard trying to mix everything together.
  • Gently unroll the puff pastry over the pastry dish (I usually use a pie pan, but you can use anything you like- corning ware is great for this).  Gently pinch the sides so that they adhere to the dish.  If you have any leftover dough, hand it over to your little one to make fun shapes, and then top the pastry with the shapes.
  • If you want to it to have a rich golden texture, use a pastry brush to paint the pastry with an egg wash (1 egg that's been beaten with 3 tablespoons of water).
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Enjoy!