Recipe Chicken Pocket Pie

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Torn between a desire to enjoy the wonders of puff pastry, and trying to eat healthier, I ended up making small chicken pot pies. There are shortcuts to making this - I read many similar recipes that used canned soup, prepared meat or frozen vegetables. I didn't use any of them, other than the frozen peas. The corn I used was from fresh corn that I had frozen previously. This meant that the prep took longer, but the results were well worth it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter + 1 teaspoon butter, divided
1 shallot, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons bacon grease
3 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut in 1/2" chunks
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup corn kernels
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons kosher salt, adjusted to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, adjusted to taste
3 tablespoons corn starch
2 puff pastry sheets (17.3 ounces)

Directions

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot. Sauté shallots, carrots, and celery until softened and fragrant. Stir in Herbes de Province.

2. In a separate pan, melt bacon grease. Cook chicken chunks in batches until there is no pink visible on the flesh. Remove from pan and cut larger pieces in half. Retain any juices and pour into the first pot. NOTES: 1) don't cook until browned as subsequent cooking will overcook the chicken; 2) I also decided to cut the pieces in half after cooking to keep the chicken moist.

3. Add stock, corn, peas, and cornstarch to the first pot. Season to taste. Add chicken, and cook until thickened. Add the entire mixture to a large baking sheet, and place in the freezer to cool. NOTE: there's no need to cool completely, but it should be cooled somewhat before adding to the pastry shells.

4. Roll out pastry sheet on a lightly floured board (this assumes there are two sheets per package). Cut into 12 equal squares. Line two cupcake trays with cupcake liners. Add puff pastry squares to each cup, ensuring that no part of the paper liner is visible. Repeat for the other sheet.

5. Fill each cup with the cooled mixture. Pinch off the tops so none of the mixture is visible. Brush the tops of the pies with the remaining butter.

6. In an oven preheated to 375°F (190°C), bake pocket pies for 10 minutes. Rotate trays, then bake for another 10 minutes. When the tops appear to be firm, bake under the broiler until golden brown. Remove from tray and allow to cool somewhat before serving.

 

[mjd]

That looks so easy and delicious. I'm adding this one to my list. Thanks!

 

[detroitdad]

I'm heading to New Mexico tomorrow morning for a 4 day party. I think I will try this when I get back. Looks amazing!