Pot Pie - The Ultimate Comfort Food

The weather is finally chilly here and I was craving chicken pot pie for a while now. The only kind there has ever been around my house says Swanson's on the box. I found a recipe that uses puff pastry instead of pastry dough. I was not feeling adventurous enough to attempt dough from scratch, and since I had never worked with puff pastry, I was excited to try it.

The original recipe makes individual sized pot pies, however, I was unable to find my small dishes, so I used one 1 1/2 qt oval casserole dish, which worked just fine by using 1 whole sheet of puff pastry. I maybe have been too liberal with the egg wash, as the top browned a little too much. However, the dish was wonderful - the crust was flaky and tasted amazing dipped into the hearty chicken & veggie filling.

Individual Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock I used broth
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme I used dried
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped white button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped red-skinned potatoes I used russet potatoes
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup cooked fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Four 6-inch squares frozen puff pastry I kept the sheet whole
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400ºF. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, 1 to 2 minutes.

Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Divide the filling among 4 ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry squares with the egg mixture. Brush the rims of the bowls with water.

Place 1 pastry square on top of each bowl, pressing lightly on the edges. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.