Ingredients
FOR FILLING
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup leeks, rough dice
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 –3 sprigs of fresh thyme (pulled off the stem)
- 5 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 5 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken breast (or the breast meat from one rotisserie chicken)
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups homemade or good quality store bought chicken stock
- 2 tsp white wine
PASTRY
- 1 LB puff pastry chilled, not frozen (My favorite is Dufour)
- All-purpose flour (for dusting)
- 1 large egg
Instructions
FOR THE FILLING:
- Cut onion, carrots, and leeks into large dice.
- Roughly dice about 2 cups of chicken breast meat and set aside.
- Put 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth in a separate small pot and simmer on low heat.
- In a large pan over medium low heat, melt the butter.
- Add onions, carrots and leeks, Add salt and cook until translucent – about 5-10 minutes. (Carrots should still be a bit firm).
- Once ready, add the flour. Stir until incorporated into the mixture. Turn off the heat.
- Ensure your pot of broth is at a low simmer.
- Turn mixture back up to medium heat. Using a ladle, start adding warm broth into the pan with the filling and using a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate the liquid into the filling. Be sure to use the spoon or spatula to stir around the edges of the pan to fully mix. It should be a medium consistency – not too thick and not too runny (you don’t have to use all of the broth if you’ve achieved your desired thickness).
- Add in the wine.
- Add diced chicken and the thyme and fully stir.
- Taste filling and season with salt and pepper as desired.
FOR THE CRUST:
To finish the pot pies, whisk the egg to make an egg wash.
Flour the counter and roll out the puff pastry to about 1/8″ –inch, checking to make sure you have at least 1 1/2″ -inches of overhang. Using either a paring knife or a large ring, cut out the dough, then brush off the excess flour. Puff pastry works best when it is really cold, so each time you cut out a round, place it onto the tray and back into the refrigerator.
To finish assembling, make sure the filling is cool before brushing the top of each ramekin with the egg wash. Drape a piece of dough overtop and squeeze the dough slightly upwards; making sure it is nice and tight around the ramekin. Refrigerate for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425º degrees Fahrenheit. Just before you bake the pot pies, brush the dough with the egg wash. Vent the tops to let the steam escape. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is a dark golden brown (and the internal temperature reaches at least 165º degrees Fahrenheit / 74º Celsius). Once done, let the pot pies sit for a few minutes before serving.
