All Sold Out Chicken Pot Pies

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 purchased cooked rotisserie chicken, or
• 1 whole stewed chicken, cooled
• 8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package frozen peas (optional)
• Cream Sauce:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Dash of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• Crust:
• 1 cup chilled unsalted butter
• 3 cups flour
• 10 ounces chilled cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 large egg

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

To Make the Filling: Melt the butter in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and potato; saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the crushed red pepper and add salt and pepper to taste.

While the vegetables are sauteing, skin the chicken, pull the meat off the bones, and shred the meat or cut into bite-size pieces. Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl and add enough water to cover. Cover the dish and microwave on high power about 10 minutes, until beans are tender. Drain thoroughly. Stir the beans, peas, and chicken into the vegetable mixture. Set the filling aside.

To Make the Cream Sauce: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Add the cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken filling and stir to combine. Fill individual 1 1/4 cup capacity oven-safe bowls three quarters of the way to the top with the creamed chicken filling.

To Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.

Set the dough on a flat surface dusting with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls and cut out dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Variation: Pot pies lend themselves to all manner of vegetable additions, such as diced carrots, fresh corn kernels, diced turnips, sliced celery, cut-up asparagus spears, or sliced wild mushrooms. Just add them to the saute mix and enjoy.