Chicken Pot Pie

Hey y'all, hope you didn't miss me too much yesterday! I lacked blogspiration, so I figured I'd skip it. Plus, I had to go to the dentist, and that threw a cramp in my day. At any rate, I'm back today, and I'm bringing you my recipe for "slap your momma good" chicken pot pie. It's super tasty, relatively healthy, and pretty easy to make. I also remembered to take pictures of the WHOLE process, so be prepared for photo overload- sorry if any are blurry, but I have the world's shakiest hands - this is why I'm not a brain surgeon! Let's dive right in!

Cast:
1-2 pound package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (at least 12 oz)
1/3 cup frozen chopped onion (or fresh chopped onion)
1/3 cup of butter
1/3 cup of flour
2 1/4 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of milk
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
Salt, pepper, Greek seasoning
Puff pastry shells (or sheets)

What You're Gonna Do:
1) Bake the puff pastry shells according to directions on package while you do the rest of this. (See notes at the end for directions with puff pastry sheets)

These were actually cheaper than the sheets.

This is what the shells look like before baking.

 

During baking....

Almost done...

Finished baking....

Removing the tops...

Pulling out the centers...

Finished...

2) Chop up the raw chicken into 1/2 inch cubes - these don't have to be perfect. Remove any thick pieces of fat, but a little bit should be left - it gives it what Homegirl calls "the fravor."

Choppity chop....

Fat that should be removed...

Fat you can leave for "the fravor"

3) Salt and pepper the meat pretty generously.

Peppering action!

Salt...thrilling, I know!

4) Heat a couple pan-turns of olive oil over medium-high heat in a decent sized pan (you want a semi-deep one), then add the chicken. Throw in a little minced garlic and cook until the chicken is done through. Remove from pan and drain off the excess oil. Set aside.

Oil....

 

Chicken....

Cooked and drained chicken.

5) DO NOT clean the pan - again, "the fravor." Put 1/3 cup of butter (yes, I know that's a lot - I'm not sorry) into the pan and melt over medium heat. Throw in some more garlic if you're feeling it. Add the onion and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until it's soft.

Ooooh, baby!

Not. Sorry.

YUM!

 

Laziness...

 

Your 1/3 cup can be heaping - a little extra onion never hurts.

Garlic makes everything better.

6) Add the flour, some salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning (optional, but I like it), and stir until combined. This will get almost paste-like.

You need all-purpose flour, which is what most people have anyway.

 

I like to have these at the ready for these next steps - things start to happen quickly.

Stir stir stir....

Kinda pasty - this is correct.

7) Add the chicken broth and milk (I measure them in the same cup so they are already mixed together) a few ounces at a time. Keep on stirring. This will start to take on a more gravy-like consistency.

You don't have to use fat free - it's ok.

Regular broth is ok, too.

Stir stir stir....

There we go!

8) Once you have added all the milk and broth, add the frozen veggies, stir, and cover. Let this cook for 5-8 minutes, until the veggies are warmed throughout. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

More laziness...

YUM - I added lima beans 'cause I like 'em and I had 'em.

Cover it up.

9) Add the chicken and recover, cooking another 3-5 minutes. If your sauce is getting too thick, add a little more chicken broth and stir.

Almost to Tasty Town...

10) Once the chicken is fully reheated in the sauce, remove from heat.

Finished filling.

11) Place 2 puff pastry shells on each plate and spoon in chicken filling. It should overflow, and I like to put extra all around the plate.

I made my Super Sweet Man stop eating so I could take this picture...he thinks I'm nuts.

12) Enjoy!

Notes:
- If you want to make this with puff pastry sheets instead of cups, use a muffin tin. Cut the sheets into squares large enough to fill the tin and fold over. Prepare filling the same way, then spoon over uncooked pastry in the muffin pan, fold the edges over the top of the filling, then bake at 425 until the pastry is lightly browned.

-You can easily make this vegetarian by nixing the chicken, adding more veggies, and using vegetable broth. You CANNOT make this vegan 'cause it would no longer be tasty - don't argue with me.

-You could use chicken breast meat if you prefer, but thighs are usually cheaper and have more of "the fravor."

-Puff pastry cups will keep well after baking in a bag or tupperware on the counter for up to 2 days. You can re-heat/crisp them in the oven for a couple minutes before serving. The filling will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

-This recipe can have as much or as little salt as you like. I use the reduced sodium broth and try to keep my salting under control - you can always salt the pie when you eat it if there's not enough.

-Just trust me on the butter. At least I used fat-free milk?

This makes a great cold-night meal and only takes about 30 minutes start to finish. There's plenty of room for interpretation, so you are unlikely to screw this up. You can also take this to someone easily - make everything separately, then deliver. Great for a sick friend or someone with a new baby.

Happy cooking!