Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie was one of my favorites when I was little. When my parents would go out on Saturday nights and we would have a babysitter we could sometimes pick a special dinner from the grocery store. "Special" meaning a TV dinner or my personal favorite, a chicken pot pie. Yes, most kids would probably pick frozen pizza but lets just say I had an adult palette at an early age, although I probably topped off my pot pie with a grape Shasta :) 

I have been talking about making pot pie for months now and recently bought the perfect pot pie size ramekins at Crate and Barrel. After taking an inventory of the produce in my refrigerator this week I realized that I had everything that I needed to make pot pie! As I made the pot pies last night all of the reasons why I love them so much came back to me. There is just something about pot pie, it's warm and hearty and the perfect comfort food.

Chicken Pot Pie
** adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

2 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion, medium dice
1 large carrot, medium dice
1 large stalk celery, medium dice
1/2 c. mushrooms
1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 c. cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (usually takes about 45 minutes to thaw)
1 large egg yolk
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms until softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring frequently until mixture is pale golden and is the texture of oatmeal, about 5 minutes.

Whisking constantly, add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes; refrigerate until room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 4 equal squares, 1 inch larger than dishes and place over the four baking dishes. Cut vents into the pastry. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 tsp water; brush pastry with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Place the four baking dishes on a large rimmed cookie tray and bake until pastry is deep golden and juices and bubbling, about 35 minutes.