Saturday, April 2, 2011

Perfect Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie















Directions for puff pastry topping:
4 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover the pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pie


Ingredients:
  • 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast--cooked all day in the crockpot with a little chicken broth and garlic powder and thyme. Cut up--about 3-4 cups of cooked chicken.
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 3/4 to 1 cup thin sliced celery
  • 3-4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • cups of frozen diced potatoes, thawed
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 sheet puff pastry
Directions:

Grease a 2-quart baking dish. (I made mine in a 9x13 glass baking dish)

In a large saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are browned and tender. Add the green onions and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove mushrooms and onions from pan.

Add the leek, celery, carrots and potatoes, adding more butter if needed and saute until vegetables are crisp tender. Add mushrooms and onions back to pan. Remove from heat.

In a sauce pan:
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
Stir in flour until well blended.
Stir in the reduced chicken broth, cream, and sherry. Continue cooking, stirring, until thickened. Add the peas and chicken, and vegetables to sauce.
Taste and add salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
Spoon into the prepared baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Add pre-cooked puff pastry top and bake 5-10 minutes more--depending on how brown topping turned out during the pre-bake.