The ultimate comfort food is Chicken Pot Pie. With a few convenient shortcuts like rotisserie chicken and store-bought puff pastry, they are surprisingly easy to make. If you are cooking Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you are likely to have all of the necessary ingredients on hand, offering a heavenly way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey in place of chicken. I always prefer to create individual servings whenever possible – it is a simple way to make the presentation more personal. This recipe is soulfully delicious and so fool-proof that it is customizable if you have modifications that you would like to experiment with:
Individual Chicken Pot Pies
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups of Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
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
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (I always like to add more)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt & pepper to taste
Four 6″ squares frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
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 5 minutes. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, peas and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard.
Divide the filling among 4 ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the pastry squares with the egg mixture. Brush the rims of the bowls with water. Place one pastry square on top of each bowl, pressing lightly on the edges. Bake at 350 about 3o min until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Bon appétit!
