Chicken Pot Pie

Last week I made dinner for one of our neighbors, who is recovering from surgery. I thought a great comfort food would be Chicken Pot Pie. This is probably one of my favorite things to make. I love the Barefoot Contessa & I LOVE this recipe!

I changed my pot pie a bit from her original recipe, so click here if you want to check out the original one. The picture above is from her website... she makes hers in cute little individual dishes. I've been searching for months for the right individual size dish. I finally decided on these ramekin dishes from Cost Plus World Market (only $2.99 each!). You can always use a regular size pie dish, too! I really recommend roasting the chicken the way she does... it makes the meat so moist & delicious.

Chicken Pot Pie
*Makes 2 pie dishes, so if you want you can half the recipe & then just use 1 pie dish
*Instead of making your own pastry, you can just use Pillsbury pie crust…found in the dairy case
*Optional: put a pie crust on bottom of pan, too

Ingredients:
Pillsbury pie crust
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 T. olive oil
2 tsp. salt (for filling)
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper (for filling)
5 cups chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 T. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (about 2 onions)
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream (or milk)
2 cups medium-diced peeled carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
2 cups small cubed potatoes (skins removed), blanched for 2 minutes
10 oz. package frozen peas (2 cups)
½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350
*Note: This step, of roasting the chicken breasts & cutting them into cubes, can be done in advance (or use leftover roast chicken).
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet & rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones & discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

On Stovetop:
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken broth & dissolve the bouillon cubes in the broth.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter & sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour & cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken broth to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add salt, pepper, & heavy cream (or milk). Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes, & parsley. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375
(Note: If using a pie crust on bottom… place pie crust in bottom of pie pan)
-Pour filling into pie pan
-Cover with pie crust
-Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick
-Brush the dough with egg wash (lightly beaten egg with a splash of water in it) & make 3 slits in the top to allow steam to release
-Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
-Place on a baking sheet & bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown & the filling is bubbling hot.

*I like to serve the pot pie with a loaf of crusty bread or some biscuits. The leftovers are even better!

Chicken Pot Pie