Chicken Pot Pie

Welcome to the 5th Mangia Monday, a recipe blog hop that I co-host with the fun and wonderful Kristin of Delightfully Dowling!

I don’t know about you but I am knee deep in my kids’ spring sports right about now.

When we had our first babe 12 years ago we said we would never be one of those overscheduled families that run from one activity to the next. Fast forward to 2011, and those are just a few of many words we’ve had to eat about what we weren’t going to do as parents! We’ve realized that our kids sleep, eat and generally behave better when they get lots of physical activity. Our three children have plenty of free play time, but being a part of sports teaches them about playing fair, sharing, being patient, being respectful of others, giving something their all, and making fitness part of their daily lives, in addition to being fun. And we want them to have opportunities to try lots of different sports and activities while they are young and unencumbered by real life responsibilities. Isn’t that what being a kid is all about??

I love being outside at the fields watching the kids play. The downside is that most games and practices take place during the time when we would normally sit down to dinner as a family. It’s so important to me as my kids get older for us to share a meal together and talk about our day, but their various schedules make not only sitting down together, but even preparing a decent meal, quite the challenge. During this busy season I love meals that I can make ahead in a crock pot, or quickly reheat in the oven after practices.

While you might think of chicken pot pie as a winter comfort food, I absolutely love it for a make-ahead meal.

This pot pie requires only 20 minutes of baking in the oven to reheat the chicken and veggies and make the topping an appetizing golden brown. And oh! – is there anything better than to see your kids chow down a  meal (without compaint)?!? It’s a great meal to prepare ahead and then pop into the oven after work or a busy day.

I have tried pot pies with both a bottom and top pie crust and always find that the bottom crust is doughy an undercooked, in addition to packing more fat into each serving. I love this recipe’s single puff pastry crust on the top – it adds a little texture, crunch and yumminess but isn’t hideously unhealthy for a weeknight meal for your family!

Chicken Pot Pie
{PRINT RECIPE}

2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
4 long carrots or about 1 1/2 cups baby carrots, medium diced*

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
24 oz. chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 (1/2 pkg.) sheet frozen Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and coat with 3 T olive oil, salt and pepper. (I cooked 2 extra split breasts and then used the meat for chicken quesadillas the next night.) 

Roast for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove skin and chop chicken into large dice. {You can substitute the 2 split chicken breasts for 2 store-bought rotisserie chickens, but it’s a lot cheaper and really very easy to cook your own! We can’t believe how simple and delicious it is. Everyone steals pieces from the cutting board.)

Blanch carrots for 2-3 minutes by adding chopped carrots to boiling water and cooking until crisp-tender. *I have found that frozen carrots do not work well in this recipe.
Blanch potatoes for 4-5 minutes until easily pierced with a fork. Immediately cool blanched carrots and potatoes in a colander with cold water.

Swirl 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pot and saute onions over medium-low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add flour, mix to combine with onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Add broth and simmer over low heat, stirring, until thickened. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, carrots, potatoes, peas, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

Add chopped chicken and pour into a pie plate or square baking dish (I used an 8″x8″).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Cut off 1/3 and set aside, then roll out square to slightly larger than your baking dish (my rolled out pastry square was about 10×10).

Place over filled baking dish and trim pastry so about 1/2-1″ hangs over the side of the dish, and crimp at edges. (Kitchen shears make this easy!)

Pierce top with fork. If desired, use remaining 1/3 of puff pastry sheet to make a decorative design on the top of the pie (I really wish I knew some fancy things to do with extra puff pastry for my own amusement!)  Brush puff pastry with beaten egg.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is hot. Serve immediately.

Hide the leftovers in the back of the fridge for yourself! 🙂

Now you’re up! I can’t wait to see what you’ve been creating in your kitchen!

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