Chicken Pot Pie

I had some phyllo dough that I needed to use up (and oops...I still have more) so figured why not make a nice, comforting chicken pot pie? I usually use the Barefoot Contessa recipe, which is delish, but when I saw the recipe on Chelley's blog (www.browneyedbaker.com) I knew it would be great! I was able to fill 8 individual casseroles with this recipe.

NOTE: For veggies, I used frozen mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, peas). I also used more puff pastry. I used about 4 layers each.

Chicken Pot Pie(Source: Williams Sonoma)

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I used 2)
½ cup chopped yellow onions (I used red)
½ cup chopped celery (oops...I forgot this!)
½ cup peeled and chopped carrots
½ cup chopped white button mushrooms
½ cup chopped red-skinned potatoes
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (I actually used 4 breasts)
½ cup cooked fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Four 6-inch squares frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Divide the filling among 4 ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry squares with the egg mixture. Brush the rims of the bowls with water. Place 1 pastry square on top of each bowl, pressing lightly on the edges. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Enjoy!