CHICKEN POT PIE

Okay, so first things first- this is by far one of my favorite things I have EVER made. It. Is. Delicious. And all cheesiness aside, this recipe really does require a lot of love and extra steps so it's going to be a little longer & more detailed than most of my other ones. I know how unappealing a ton of reading can be before getting to what everyone actually wants (the recipe) so I will try to keep it as short as possible without leaving anything out. But please read everything for the best results!

Important things to go over first:

#1 The chicken - Most pot pie recipes just call for "cooked chicken" which is usually boiled or baked or some suggest rotisserie chicken meat to make it easy. I seasoned my chicken breasts before cooking them which gives the entire pot pie an extra layer of flavor. If you start out with delicious pieces of chicken, every other ingredient is just a bonus.

#2 Baking - I used a cast iron skillet to bake my pot pie. I absolutely loved the way this turned out and I loved the traditional circular look of it as well. But by no means do you have to make it this way. For the crust I used pastry dough which already comes in a rectangular shape. So you can easily make this in a 9x13 casserole dish.

#3 Cooking time - By the time you assemble the pie, the filling is going to be 100% done. The only thing that needs to cook is the pastry dough. Every oven is different. Because of this, cooking times may vary. I started out cooking this for 35 minutes and then checked it every 2-5 minutes after that to see how the crust was coming along. Once the top gets a beautiful golden brown color... It's done! As soon as the crust begins to get a deeper color, it happens very fast. So make sure to keep an eye on it constantly so that it does not burn. 

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CHICKEN

- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs total)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/4 tsp dried thyme

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- salt/pepper

FOR THE FILLING

- 2 tbsp butter

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 medium size carrots, cubed

- 1 large rib of celery, chopped

- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

- 1/3 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (save a little for the crust)

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 2 cups chicken broth (plus more as needed: see #3)

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

- 1 cup frozen peas

- 1 cup frozen corn

- salt/pepper

FOR THE CRUST

- 2 packages of pastry dough (I find individually packaged sheets in the refrigerated section at Jewel)

- 1 beaten egg

- 1 tsp heavy cream

- (rosemary as noted above)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pound chicken out to about 1/2in thickness each. Sprinkle with salt/pepper, thyme & chopped garlic. Preheat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook for 5-7 mins on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet to finish in the oven. Check after 5 minutes. My chicken was done after about 7-8 mins. (Good news is the chicken will end up cubed anyways, so don't worry about ruining the look of it by checking the inside to make sure it's done). Let chicken rest for 10 mins, then cut into bite size cubes.

2. Turn oven up to 400. In a deep pot, melt butter & add carrots, onion, celery & garlic. Cook until tender over low heat (be patient, but do not let the garlic burn). Season with salt & pepper. This step smells amazing. Add flour & stir to coat all the veggies, then add chicken broth, thyme, & rosemary. Whisk in heavy cream & continue to cook until thickened (about 10 mins).

3. After mixture has thickened, add in cubed chicken, peas & corn. Stir well and season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Note: If the mixture seems too thick, splash in a little extra chicken broth as needed. (I did this 3 times until it was just right).

Next, time to assemble the pie!!

4. Cover the bottom of dish of choice with 1 sheet of pastry dough. (Since I used a circular skillet, I just stretched the rectangular sheet to fit all the way up the sides. Even if you use a casserole dish you may still need to stretch it a bit. Rolling it out helps too) No one sees this layer so don't worry about perfection!

5. Pour filling on top. Cover with other sheet of pastry dough. I also had to stretch this sheet to fit. Crimp the edges of the dough so that it is completely closed. Ditch the technique here, the more rustic looking... The better it tastes, I promise. 

6. Brush top of dough with beaten egg mixture (egg & heavy cream) & sprinkle with rosemary. Fun fact: I don't even own a "cooking brush", I used a balled up paper towel to evenly cover the crust with this egg mixture and it worked just fine :)

7. Cut 4 slits on the top of the pie for steam to escape. Cook for 35 minutes & check every 2-5 minutes after that until crust is a perfect deep golden brown (explained in the notes above). Let pie sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I truly hope anyone who tries this recipe absolutely loves it. Chicken pot pie is one of my all time favorite meals and making this made my heart so incredibly happy. I assure you, it will be a crowd pleaser!