Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is a food that I have only ever had as a frozen food.  I always liked them as a kid, but it has been a long time since I have had one.  Now that we’re well into the comfort food months I thought it sounded like a perfect thing to try at home.  I knew they would be good, but oh.my.gosh.  I thought this dinner was pretty unbelievable.  The filling is fantastic – creamy and thick without being too heavy, and full of lots of chicken and yummy veggies.  I think what really blew me away was the crust on top.  It was perfectly golden and flaky, and taken together all these elements combined to create a truly wonderful meal.

I like that this version uses individual serving dishes rather than making one giant pie as some recipes do.  It certainly makes for easier portioning and better presentation.  As you might imagine, these do take some time to prepare but I think they are completely worth the effort.  The use of a store-bought rotisserie chicken helps to cut down prep time significantly, so you can focus on cooking the filling and making the crust.  The recipe does make a lot of food (6-8 pies, depending on the size of dishes you use) and though you may be tempted to cut down the quantity as I was, I suggest you go ahead and make the full recipe anyway.  After all, if you are going to take the time to make these, you might as well get the most of your efforts.  The finished pies can be frozen after baking, and taste just as good as fresh.  Simply thaw in the refrigerator during the day and then reheat in the the oven at 350° F for 30-40 minutes.  If baking straight from the freezer, bake at 400˚ F for 45-60 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pies
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Ingredients:
For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large russett potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 purchased rotisserie chicken
1-2 cups frozen peas and carrots

For the sauce:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
16 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 large egg

Directions:
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and potato to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender.  While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots.  Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup.  Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well.  Spoon the mixture into 6-8 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly.  Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper.  Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness.  Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes.  Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes.  Beat the egg with a whisk, and brush the tops of the dough rounds lightly with the beaten egg.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Ezra Pound Cake, originally from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather