Chicken Pot Pies
Chicken Pot Pies are incredibly nostalgic for me…in the cold winter months of Toronto, having a hot steaming pot pie was heavenly! It didn’t matter if it was Stouffer’s or Marie Callender’s, they were delicious! It never occurred to my 10-year old self that you could actually bake one from scratch.
Wondering what to do with leftover turkey one year prompted me to consider making a pot pie. After a number of trials and errors, I found my way to this lovely version, and I hope you’ll give it a whirl! It’s the perfect recipe to use up leftover chicken or turkey!
The flavor of these pot pies is a little unique with the addition of lemon zest, dry vermouth, mushrooms and thyme. You’re going to love it!
Chicken Pot Pies are made easy by using frozen puff pastry dough. Just defrost the dough, roll it out, and cut circles of dough slightly bigger than your oven-proof soup bowls. You could make one large pot pie, but I love the individual ones! Once the dough circles are cut, pop those into the fridge until you are ready to use them.
I also love the easy of using leftover chicken or turkey. If you don’t have leftovers, most stores offer rotisserie chicken already shredded. This makes life simple! Combine the shredded chicken with olive oil, shallots, lemon zest and parsley and set it aside.
Begin the cooking process by sautéing mushrooms in a dutch oven until the are lightly browned and cooked through. This will take about 6 minutes. Remove them from the pot.
Add a little more olive oil to the pot and add leeks, carrots and thyme and cook until the veggies soften, about 8 minutes. Add the dry vermouth and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add flour to the vegetables. This will help to thicken the liquids once added. You want to stir the flour once you’ve added it so that it cooks (nothing worse than raw flour in a recipe!). Whisk in the chicken stock and cream and simmer until it thickens. Then, remove it from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Now, you will mix the cooled sauce with the lemon & chicken mixture, mushrooms and frozen peas and divide it between 4 soup bowls.
Remove the puff pastry rounds from the fridge. Brush each soup bowl with a little egg wash around the outer rim so that the pastry round will “stick” to the bowl. Feel free to crimp the edges however you choose. I like pressing with a fork.
Place the bowls on a foil-lined sheet pan and brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. Be sure to cut a 1/2-inch slit in the top so that the steam will escape and the crust will become crispy. After about 25 minutes, the pastry should be cooked and golden brown and the filling will be heated through. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, sprinkle some thyme leaves over and serve!
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Chicken Pot Pies
Makes: 4 individual pies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour & 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
- 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 5 tbsp good quality olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp finely minced shallot
- Zest from one lemon
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 2 leeks, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into a small dice
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1/3 cup dry white vermouth
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 4 12- to 14-ounce capacity oven-safe soup bowls
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and place the puff pastry over top. Sprinkle the pastry with flour and roll to about 1/8-inch thick, smoothing the creases with the rolling pin at the same time. (Depending on the brand of puff pastry you buy, you may not need to roll it out that much.) Using a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a pizza cutter, cut out 4 circles about 2 inches larger than the diameter of your soup bowls. Place the dough rounds on the foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack to the center position.
In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, shallots, lemon zest, and parsley; set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven. Sauté the mushrooms over medium-high heat until cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a clean dutch oven; add leeks, carrots, and thyme and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat slightly, add the dry vermouth, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add flour to the carrot mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and cream, then simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Mix the cooled sauce with the lemon-parsley turkey, mushrooms, and frozen peas; divide the mixture between 4 individual oven-safe soup bowls.
Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
Remove the pastry rounds from the refrigerator. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash. Place the cold dough rounds over the bowls, pressing firmly around the edges so that the dough adheres. Transfer the bowls to the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Using a sharp knife, make a ½-inch slit in the top of each pie. Place the bowls on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a rich golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then use a wide spatula to carefully transfer the hot bowls to serving plates. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme sprigs over top of the bowls and serve.
Make Ahead:
The pies may be assembled and refrigerated up to a day ahead of time. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash before baking.
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