Weeknight Chicken Pot Pies

This is amazing, this week is going much better than I expected! The boys are being pretty darn good, we've actually had a lot of fun together. Tuesday was full of running around and classes and errands, so yesterday we did absolutely nothing, were total couch potatoes, and ate pizza on the floor in front of the TV. It Was AWESOME. Today was a mix of lazy and productive... Tomorrow should be much more productive, as long as I go to sleep on time. Tonight was the first night I actually cooked food for dinner, and honestly I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't planned on taking most of it to a friend. What can I say, I get lazy when there's no Geologist to take care of! Lucky for me, the boys love "roughing it".  Yet again, tonight we take the dive from 60 degrees to snow. The brioche dough is in the fridge, fingers crossed that it works out and I have a gorgeous golden loaf to share with you next week!! 

Weeknight Chicken Pot Pies (adapted from StoneGable)
Printable Recipe

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I love using a rotisserie chicken for this!)
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1 large celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, cleaned and diced (You can also use a cup of frozen peas and carrots)
1 Large or 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
5 Tbs butter
1/3 cup flour
3-4 cups chicken stock (use three for lower elevations, or it will take forever to thicken!)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt
1/2 cup frozen baby peas (skip this if you're using a frozen mix)
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 package puff pastry, thawed but still cool

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each of 2 puff pastry sheets in 4 equal rectangles. (If you're making 8 servings at once, prepare both sheets. Or save one for leftovers the next day, if making 4 servings)

Put the puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with a bit of beaten egg, and cook according to directions, about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside when baked.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large dutch oven or deep saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add onions and celery (and carrots if using fresh). Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened and the onions translucent. Do not let them brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until it smells toasty. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Add cream, pepper, potatoes, thyme and chicken, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and the mixture is thickened.

Add peas (or frozen mix) and season to taste with salt. Stir and bring back to a simmer and stir for a few minutes.

Put the chicken filling into a bowl and add a puff pastry on top. (This filling can be made the day before and refrigerated. Just reheat, top with freshly baked pastry and serve!)

 Gah, pardon the lighting!! This is the best I could get it to look. I wanted to wait and take daytime pictures, but honestly, this recipe is just too good to wait! Someday I'll take new pictures and replace them, until then you'll just have to trust me, and MAKE THIS POT PIE!!

 I've posted another pot pie recipe, but it's not as classic and a bit more work. Still delicious, but if you want the perfect, creamy, flakey chicken pot pie, this is IT! It's the best I've ever tasted! Exactly what I've been searching for for years, and I've already made it three times!

The veggies are tender, the gravy creamy and delicious, and baking the pastry separately keeps it light and flakey. The boys skip the crust, The Geologist takes bites out of it like a cracker, and I get a perfect piece with every bite. One of the great things about this recipe is how each person can get exactly what they want out of it. Oh, and it's ridiculously good!