Homey Chicken Pot-Pie
Feeds 3 - 4
My chicken pot pie isn’t anything crazy fancy, but it is tasty as s***. I started trying to make chicken pot pie when I was at Uni and fancied something a little different one day. I inattentively made Wolfgang Puck’s recipe from tasty whilst in my underwear and watching Modern Family, and it was great. I really wanted to try and adapt it to my taste though, so I started playing around with the ingredients and measurements every time I made it, and, eventually, some two years later, I made my favourite version. So much so that, when I served it, there were some unwarranted sounds of pleasure emanating from the dinner table that I did not want to be privy too.
This chicken pot pie is super traditional, but the sauce is really thick, the chicken is mega tender, and the dish is wonderfully decadent. I like to describe it akin to eating a tub of Ben and Jerry’s – you know you need to stop because it’s probably not doing wonders for your hips, but you keep going in for bites because you can't stop.
PRO TIPS
Prep all your veg before you start any of the cooking process. You’ll have an easier time cleaning up and a much less stressful cooking process. You can then live out your desperate housewife roleplay fantasies and drink wine casually as you stir your pot because you’re not even slightly frantic.
When you’ve added your chicken stock, and made your sauce, dip the back of a spoon in it and run a finger down the middle. If the sauce stays on the spoon and doesn’t run through your swipe, then it is thick enough. (Thanks for that tip Buzzfeed!)
Make sure to blanch your carrots and cook your potatoes before you put it in the sauce – trying to cook things IN the sauce is a bloody nightmare and takes up precious time you could be spending with your loved ones…or watching modern family.
Recipe
Ingredients
3 whole Chicken breasts, cooked (baked or pan fried)
4 tbsp Butter
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups white onion chopped
2 cups of carrots, peeled, and cut into 1cm chunks (steam or blanch for 5 minutes)
2 ½ cups of Frozen peas
2 cups of chopped, cooked potatoes
2 tablespoons of double cream
4 cups of chicken stock
Salt & Pepper to taste
Puff pastry sheet
1 egg
Method
Preheat the oven to 180℃ (356℉).
Add the butter to a deep skillet or large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add your chopped onions to the pot. Sauté the onions until translucent – about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and cook over a low heat, stirring consistently for about 1.5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously until the sauce has thickened.
When the sauce is the right thickness (check PRO TIPS to find out how) season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Add in the carrots and frozen peas and slowly stir them in.
Shred your cooked chicken breasts with two forks.
Stir your cooked chopped potatoes and your shredded chicken breasts into the mixture. Keep on a low heat until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, prepare your puff pastry. Cut the puff pastry to whatever size suits your serving dish. OR alternatively, cut it into small circles/rectangles for individual portions.
Whisk your egg with a tablespoon of water to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash across the top of your puff pastry.
Place your puff pastry on a lined baking tray in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until risen and golden on top.
Put your pot-pie mixture into a serving dish or individual serving dishes and serve with the baked puff pastry on top.
DIG IN AND ENJOY!!
Stay Salty,
Romy xx