EASY CHICKEN POT PIE
I know this might not seem like the most romantic dish you can make for Valentine’s Day, but it is nice and cozy for a cold winter’s night. It’s also one of my hubby’s favorites, so why not? It’s a great dish for using all those leftover veggies and chicken you have in the fridge. I like to use puffed pastry as the crust. I find it more delicate and tastier than a classic pie crust. You can still dress up the meal with a nice bottle of pinot noir or even champagne. Happy Valentine’s Day!
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped or shredded chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 sheet puffed pastry
1 egg, beaten
Cranberry sauce, for garnish
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On the stove top, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrot and celery. Sauté for about 8 minutes until the onion starts to caramelize. Add in the mushrooms and garlic and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes. Add in the chicken, mushroom soup and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add in the red pepper flakes. Stir and bring to a light boil.
NOTE: If the sauce looks too watery, allow moisture to boil off for a few minutes. If sauce is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time until it is the consistency of a thick chowder.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool for ten minutes.
Roll out one puffed pastry sheet on a floured surface. Using a deep-dish pie pan as a guide, cut out a circle one-inch larger than the pie pan.
Grease the deep-dish pie pan with butter. Pour the chicken mixture into the pie pan. Cover the pie pan with the puffed pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork or fold the overlap of the crust under itself. Cut out a 1-inch hole in the middle so that the steam can escape.
(If you have leftover puffed pastry, feel free to use it to decorate the crust. You can roll it out and use cookie cutters to make different shapes or just twist a few long strands and braid it.)
Brush the crust with a beaten egg.
Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and let rest five minutes before serving. Garnish with cranberry sauce.