Chicken Pot Pie

One of my favorite things to do is cook for my family.  When I was young my parents both worked and came home late.  In my younger years my grandmother would watch me and my siblings.  She was famous in our family for making fresh bread and goodies.  As we got older we were on our own until mom and dad got home.   The job of making dinner for the night was shared between me and my brothers.  I used to begrudge the job, but looking back now I realize what a great experience it was.  

Now, you will find the shelves of my bookcase lined with an assortment of cookbooks and foodie magazines and if I'm anywhere near a waiting room magazine, I immediately look for recipes.  If I find a good one, I'll take out my phone and snap a picture then load it into a recipe file on my computer.

Here's a delicious, easy recipe from a Paula Deen magazine.

Ingredients

• 4 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 chicken breast halves, or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
• Seasoned salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chicken base
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 cup frozen green peas, cooked
• 1 cup chopped cooked carrots
• Pinch fresh grated nutmeg, optional
• Special equipment: 4 (2-cup) individual baking dishes

Directions

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies. Leave oven on at 350 degrees F.

Note:  The puff pastry lattice is very easy to make.  You are going to pre-cook these and once your pot pie filling is complete you will simply place a lattice on top of the individual serving and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.  Make sure you're using an oven safe bowl.

Filling:

Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into chunks. Alternatively, you may use precooked chicken.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux.


Note:  roux is melted butter and flour and it is used to thicken sauces, etc.


Slowly add cream and keep stirring. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat. Fill 4 individual oven-proof bowls with chicken mixture and then top each with a pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.