Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Crust {recipe}

Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Crust {recipe}

The roast chicken and chicken stock are made from scratch in this house, so why not go the distance and make the puff pastry from scratch? I know. Inconsistent. But everything in life is inconsistent and we just have to accept that puff pastry might have to come from the grocery store freezer.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ½-inch slice carrots
1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) peas
½ cup ½-inch slice celery
1 cup red pearl onions, peeled and halved length-wise
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cloves of garlic smashed and coarsely chopped
a handful of fresh herbs (I used a mix of mostly thyme and parsley, some sage, and just a little bit of tarragon)
1 cup cremini mushrooms, halved if large
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock (you will probably not use all of it)
cooked chicken pulled and shredded from half a roast chicken
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
frozen puff pastry
1 egg

DIRECTIONS

If puff pastry isn't already thawed, thaw it while preparing pot pie filling.

For the Pot Pie Filling:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place carrots, peas, celery and onions in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat on stove. Turn down heat and simmer until carrots are just barely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set the vegetables aside.

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add garlic, herbs, and mushrooms and cook until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms are starting to brown. Sprinkle with flour, then stir and cook until flour is cooked through and the mixture is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pour in chicken stock about ½ cup at a time and stir and simmer until the "sauce" is the consistency of a thick gravy.

Pour the cooked carrots, peas, celery and pearl onions into the saucepan with the mushrooms and sauce. Stir gently to combine everything. Add salt and pepper to taste, about 1½ teaspoons salt and a few turns on the pepper mill, but it depends on how salty your starting chicken stock is.

Stir in shredded chicken.

For Whole, Family-style Chicken Pot Pie Baked in the Oven:

Pour the entire pot pie filling into a deep pie dish or casserole, then set aside for a moment.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large work surface (countertop).

Unwrap and unfold puff pastry on to parchment paper. Using a clean ruler and a very sharp knife, slice the puff pastry into even, straight ¾-inch strips.

Weave a lattice with the pastry strips over the pie filling in the pie dish or casserole, pressing the ends of the pastry strips down and over the sides of the dish with your fingers.

Brush the entire pastry with beaten egg.

Place pot pie into preheated oven and bake until pastry is browned and baked through and the filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

For Individual Pot Pies in Bowls with Lattice-Crust "Toppers":

After adding the shredded chicken to the saucepan, continue to simmer until everything has cooked through together, another 20 minutes. Keep the pot covered and check every so often; if the sauce gets too thick, stir in more chicken stock and re-adjust salt and pepper.

While the pot pie filling is simmering on the stovetop, weave a lattice pattern with the puff pastry directly onto a sheet of parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush pastry with beaten egg. Bake pastry in oven as directed by package, about 25 minutes at 400°F, until golden brown and baked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Using a very sharp knife, cut into smaller pieces to serve with each bowl.

Divide cooked pot pie filling into bowls. Serve with baked puff pastry topper.