Hello! Oh boy do I have a good recipe for you! Why is it that when everything is smaller it just seems to be better? I mean come on…look at puppies & kittens…they are just so cute and tiny!
Well, you may not want to cuddle these pot-pies {they’re a little hot for that!} they definitely still rate high on the cuteness scale! Plus, they’re easy to make and perfect for a quick end of the week meal! Just grab all those veggie leftovers and throw them in a pan with some chicken and voila! Dinner in no time.
Here’s some base-line ingredients, but you can basically substitute any and all ingredients to make this pot-pie your own.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Chicken, cubed
- 2-3 Cups Chicken, or vegetable stock; unsalted
- 3-4 Tablespoons AP Flour
- 1/4 Cup Milk
- 1/2 Cup Onions, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Carrots, Chopped
- 1/2 Bell pepper, Chopped
- 3 Cloves of garlic, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 package frozen root vegetables
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Teaspoon Red chili Flake (you can leave this out if you don’t want it to have a bit of kick)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (if you like it to have a kick!)
- 2 Teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
Crust:
- 1 Sheet of puff pastry; thawed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- salt & dried thyme to taste
Alright, so to get started, remove a puff pastry sheet from the freezer and allow to thaw on the counter while you make the pot pie filling.
Start by heating the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Chop Onion, Carrots, and Bell Pepper {you can also use the traditional celery — we just never have any on hand and this is supposed to be a handy dish!} and add to the heated oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
Next, add the cubed chicken to the pan along with the garlic, salt and spices. Toss to coat and cook the chicken until golden brown.
Add 3 tablespoons of flour directly to the mixture and toss to coat the veggies and chicken. Cook for 2 minutes to allow the flour flavor to cook out. Follow with 2-3 Cups of stock.
Allow mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, lower the heat to low and add the frozen root vegetables & peas. Stir to combine.
{If you think the mixture is too thick, you can always add a little more stock or water to the pan. If you think the mixture is too thin, mix 1/4 of milk with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir in to the pot-pie filling. This will thicken the mixture slightly and will continue to thicken it as the pot-pie cooks.}
Now, turn off the heat on the filling and allow to cool slightly while you prepare the crust.
Preheat your oven to 425F.
Take your thawed, but still cold, pastry dough and unfold it on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to approximately a 15×15 Inch square.
Using the ramekins you will bake the potpies in and using a pairing knife, cut circles out of the pastry dough.
Lightly roll the circles out and set aside — or place in the refrigerator if doing this in advance. You can the dough to be cold so it puffs when you cook it!
**If at any point the pastry dough starts to get gummy, place on a sheet pan in the freezer for a couple of minutes to firm it back up.**
Now, fill your ramekins with the filling, you can fill them up to the brim of the ramekins — more is more right?
Next, take your pastry circles and place on top of the filling, pressing lightly around the edges of the ramekins to help seal them up.
Now, with a small knife, score the tops of the potpies to allow steam to vent — get creative this is your master piece!
In a separate, small bowl, combine 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. With a brush, top the potpies with a light coating of the egg wash {this will help with browning} and sprinkle with salt and dried thyme. Never miss a chance to add more flavor!
Place the pot-pies on a sheet pan covered with tin foil {easy clean up, duh} and place in your 425F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffed and golden brown.
I usually finish my potpies by turning on the broiler for about 2 minutes just to get the tops nice and crispy. You certainly don’t have to do this — but just trust me, you want a crispy crust!
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. You can turn out the ramekins on a plate or bowl, or just eat straight from the dish! Delish!
Enjoy!
