Chicken Pot Pie

I use to like frozen chicken pot pie.  It was one of those convient food items that you could put in the oven and get a relatively good meal.  At least that's what I thought until one day I decided to make it myself.  The flavour was far superior to the frozen variety because it had a rich sauce, filled with chunks of chicken and vegetables.  Another advantage of making the filling yourself is that you can add the veggies you see fit.  I omitted the peas and replaced them with cooked broccoli because my boyfriend hates peas and usually picks them out.  Since making this recipe I've never went back to the store-bought frozen chicken pot pies.

I do admit that Ina Garten's original recipe is laborious because it means making absolutely everything from scratch (stock, roasted chicken, filling, and pastry).  I've made this recipe many times and sometimes I take shortcuts.  I usually don't make my own pastry dough and opt for frozen puff pastry.  One recipe is enough for one 8"square baking dish and two 8" pie plates.  Most times I serve the square baking dish and use two frozen ready-made pie crusts which I freeze for another use.  This way the dish can be served over many times without doing all the work all over again.  This time around I made the chicken pot pie with homemade chicken stock and roasted chicken breasts but I baked all three pies rather than freezing two; it turns out we had last minute company so it's also a great recipe for a crowd.

 The finished sauce should have a nice thick consistency and should also be well seasoned.

 Thawed puff pastry can be rolled to a 1/8" thickness on a floured surface.  Cut out a 8" square for one of the dishes then cut the remaining pieces to 3/4 - 1" thick strips to form the latice tops on the round 8" pie shells.

The filling is divided over the pie crusts and the square baking dish.  Place the puff pastry square over the baking dish, making sure to cut slits in the center to let steam escape.  Cover the pie crusts with strips of puff pastry in a latice pattern.

Make sure to brown the tops evenly and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

2 chicken bouillon cubes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

2 cups of broccoli florets and trimmed stem, blanched for 2 minutes

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 package or two sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator 

2 frozen 8" prepared pie crusts, thawed for 15 minutes at room temperature

1 egg beaten in 1 tablespoon of milk, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 1 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, broccoli and parsley. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Roll out puff pastry to a 1/8 " inch thickness over a floured surface. Measure and cut out a 8x8" square and set aside.  With the remaining puff pastry, cut into 3/4 -1" strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.  Divide the filling in square baking dish and pie crusts.  Brush the outside edge of the square baking dish with the egg wash along with the rims of the pie crusts.  Place the square piece of puff pastry over the 8x8" baking dish and make 2 slits in the center.  Place the remaining puff pastry strips over the two pie crusts with a latice pattern and then brush with egg wash.  Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.  

Note:  In order to freeze the pies, cover with plastic wrap and place each pie in a resealable freezer bag. When ready to use, unwrap pies and place on a baking sheet and bake in 375 degrees F preheated oven for 40-60 minutes.

Source: adapted from Ina Garten