Chicken Pot Pie

We are finally getting some fall like temperatures here.  Yay!  It's not quite cool enough to light a fire in the evenings, but I did make one of my family's favorite comfort foods, chicken pot pie.  This recipe is loosely based on Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie recipe, but I have made some changes to suit my family.  Mainly, I have lightened it up a bit and changed the vegetables.  Also, although I have previously made her crust and it is yummy, the store bought puff pastry I normally use makes this meal so much easier...

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

2 boxes of Chicken Stock (32 ounces each)

1 tsp chicken base (or bouillon)

1/2 stick butter

1 onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup half & half (or heavy cream)

1 cup diced carrots

1 10 ounce pkg frozen peas

1 can corn (14 ounces), drained

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Puff Pastry (1 sheet thawed)

1.  Drizzle a bit (1 Tbsp) of Olive Oil on chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Dice into bit size pieces.

2.  Melt butter in dutch oven (or large pot) and cook onions, celery and carrots until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. 

3.  Add chicken stock and whisk until it comes to a boil and begins to thicken.  I sometimes add a tsp of chicken base flavoring (or bouillon) to amp up the flavor.  If you use that, you won't need to add much salt, if any.

4. Add peas and corn.  Add half and half and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep this simmering while you prepare the puff pastry.

5.  Slice puff pastry into as many squares as you need.  I made 6 individual pot pies, plus a small one for my youngest guy.

6.  Spoon mixture into oven proof bowls.  Place puff pastry over top.  Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle salt and cracked pepper in top.

7.  Place on baking sheet (covered in foil for easy clean up) and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Enjoy!