Recipe: Perfectly Puffed Chicken Pot Pie

I pulled puff pastry out of the freezer on Saturday with every intention of making a yummy appetizer but as it tends to do, wine got in the way and the puff pastry ended up in the fridge.  The next morning I decided to do something fun for dinner so it wouldn't go to waste. My husband has been  incessantly nagging subtly hinting for homemade chicken pot pie.  I have never made chicken pot pie before because I'm actually not a huge fan of pie crust - unless it's filled with chocolate mousse and whip cream - and most chicken pot pies I have tasted had runny filling.   
But puff pastry?  Puff pastry makes everything better.  So I decided to scour the internet and find a chicken pot pie recipe with a thick flavourful filling. And I succeeded.  I am already planning to make these again!

Adapted from this recipe

Using an oversized muffin tray, this recipe makes 6 individual pot pies.  I made four slightly larger pies but will investing in an oversized muffin tray because these pies are perfect for freezing!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, halved, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• A handful of mushroom caps, chopped
• 1 small rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup defrosted frozen peas and carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour, plus a sprinkle to roll out dough
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup milk (I used 1% because that's what I had, the original recipe called for cream)
• 1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF

1 |  On medium-high heat, sauté mushrooms in 1/2 tbsp EVOO for approximately 5 minutes and then add 1/2 of the chopped onion and celery.  Cook for 3-4 more minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

2 |  At the same time as the mushroom mixture is cooking in the frying pan, add the other 1/2 tbsp EVOO to a dutch oven on medium heat.  Add the chicken and other 1/2 of the chopped onion and stir regularly.

3 |  Add frozen peas and corn to the mushroom mixture and heat through, approximately 1-2 more minutes.  

3 |  Add the vegetable mixture to the dutch oven and combine thoroughly.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3 |  Now it's time to make the gravy.  In the frying pan, completely melt the butter, then add the flour and cook one minute.  Whisk in the chicken and let thicken for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in milk and cook for another minute, whisking constantly.  And then add what I think is the key ingredient, the star of the recipe; dijon mustard (you don't get an intense dijon taste by any means but there is so much flavour!).  Also add the thyme and then salt and pepper to taste (don't taste too much or there won't be enough for the pie filling, I had to stop myself from eating it...)

4 |  Remove gravy from heat and add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

5 |  To put the pies together, spray the muffin tin (or in my case 4 small containers) with cooking spray.  Roll out the dough and divide into 6 (or 4) even squares.  Place each square in the container and then equally divide the chicken and vegetable mixture.  

5 | Pull in all four points of the dough over the filling and pinch edges together to enclose.  

5 | Brush the top with the egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes, until crust is crisp and deeply golden.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

These were delicious, my hubby even gave me an enthusiastic "GREAT!" when I asked how his chicken pot pie tasted (normally if he likes it he says it's ok so I knew this was a winner).  The pies were moist but not runny and had a ton of flavour, plus they were really filling.  Perfect for a nice Sunday dinner.  And these will definitely become a freezer meal staple!

What are your go to recipes for puff pastry?