As the weather gets colder I really start to gravitate further and further towards comfort food. Well the other day I was in the mood for some good ‘ole chicken pot pie, so here’s my spin on it… I hope you like it!
Ingredients (chicken):
3 Chicken Breast, cubed
1/2c All Purpose Flour
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Paprika
2tbsp Olive Oil
Ingredients (potatoes):
2c Red Bliss Potatoes, diced
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tbsp Olive Oil
Ingredients (mushrooms):
3c Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tbsp Olive Oil
Ingredients (everything else):
1 1/2c Frozen Peas
3 Shallot, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2c Celery, chopped
1/2c Carrots, diced
1tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
(2) 10.5oz Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3c Grated Parmesan
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Onion Powder
(2) 17oz Boxes of Frozen Puff Pastry
3tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
Ok, so that all seems like a lot… It’s really not, don’t worry. It’s slightly prep intensive, but then in the end you get to just throw everything together and relax with a glass of wine while it bakes.
First thing to get started on is the potatoes. Heat your oven to 425F. Combine all of the ingredients listed in the potato section above, lay out evenly on a baking sheet, and cook for 25 minutes in the oven. Once done place them in a very large bowl that you will be using to combine everything, and allow to cool at room temperature.
Pull the puff pastry boxes out of the freezer to allow to thaw, this takes approximately 20-30 minutes. You can remove the dough from the boxes, but do not try to unfold them while frozen as they will break.
While the potatoes are roasting get started on the mushrooms. In a large sauté pan heat 1tbsp of olive oil at medium-high then add the mushrooms and seasoning listed in the mushroom ingredients. Sauté until the mushrooms are nicely browned, stirring periodically, about 5-7 minutes. Once done add the mushrooms to the bowl with the potatoes. Save the sauté pan and any drippings, you’ll be using it to cook off the chicken.
Now let’s get started on the chicken. In a bowl combine the flour and seasoning from the chicken section, then dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour. Truth be told I do it shake ‘n bake style… I put the flour, seasoning and chicken in a Tupperware, put the lid on and then just shake the daylights out of it. It gives the chicken a nice even coating. Heat the 2tbsp of olive oil in the large sauté pan that you used for the mushrooms at medium-high. Add the floured chicken cubes and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Don’t worry about cooking the chicken all of the way through, it’ll be baking in the pot pie for an hour. At this point you’re just getting it seasoned with a nice crust. Once browned add the chicken to the large bowl with the mushrooms and potatoes. Note: Depending on the size of your sauté pan you may need to cook the chicken in two batches.
Heat your oven to 375F.
Add the frozen peas, shallots, garlic, celery and carrots to the bowl with the chicken, potatoes and mushrooms, then add the cream of mushroom soup, grated parmesan and seasoning, mix well.
Lightly grease a 9.5×13″ baking dish. Layer two of the pastry sheets along the bottom and sides of the dish. They may be a bit short to reach the top of the sides on the long edge, simply use your hands to gently press the pastry dough from the center up towards those edges, thinning and spreading the dough. You will have some overlap in the center, which is fine, just press down on the overlapping seam to seal the bottom layer. Pour your pot pie filling into the pastry lined dish and spread it out evenly. Top the filling with the two remaining pastry sheets. Fold the edges down into the bottom pastry layer to seal the sides, and once again gently press down on the overlapping seam to seal the two top sheets. Brush the pastry with 2tbsp of melted butter (leaving 1tbsp for later). Bake in the oven at 375F for 45 minutes. Lightly brush the top with the remaining 1tbsp of melted butter and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Enjoy!
Perfect Pairings at Home 