The Lady and Sons' Chicken Pot Pie

Food Network, Paula Deen

Makes 4 servings

    4 sheets frozen puff pastry shells                             
    1 egg beaten                                                   
    4 chicken breasts halves or 2 cups leftover chicken            
    Salt and pepper                                                
    2 tablespoons cooking oil                                      
    1/3 cup butter                                                 
    2/3 cup flour                                                  
    1 quart heavy cream                                            
    1/4 cup chicken base (pasty stuff on soup aisle)               
    1 tablespoon minced garlic                                     
    1/2 sm. minced onion                                           
    1 cup frozen peas cooked                                       
    1 cup chopped cooked carrots (still crunchy)                   
    Fresh nutmeg (optional)                                        

Prep Time: 20 minutes/Cook Time: 30 minutes

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies. Leave oven on at 350 degrees F.

Filling:
Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into chunks and saute until cooked through. Remove from heat. Alternatively, you may use precooked chicken.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux. Slowly add cream and keep stirring. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat.

Fill 4 individual oven-proof bowls with chicken mixture and then top each with a pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.

My Notes: Lord almighty, this was so good. Of course I tweaked: no peas, yes mushrooms and potatoes; half as much heavy cream (with a little added milk to compensate); yes to rosemary (made all the difference); canned chicken!!!; eyeballed all ingredients. The puff pastry didn't totally cook. This may be because 1) it was frozen, not thawed; 2) if really needs to be fulled cooked prior to placing on the pie (you can cover with foil to prevent over browning).

MXF