Chicken Pot Pie

Posted by Margalit

My family loves Chicken Pot Pie, but it's just too darn hot to make pie crust. Sorry, but sometimes I just have to say no way, Jose. However, I had a box of Puff Pastry in my freezer, and decided to give that a try as a substitute for pie crust. It worked! We liked it better than the real thing, and now this will be the new way I make pot pies.

INGREDIENTS:

carrots
celery
peas
sweet vidalia onions
chicken breasts
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
gravy mix
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Depending upon the size of the pie, you can use between 1 and 2 cups of veggies, and 3-4 whole boned chicken breasts. This isn't a measuring kinda recipe.

Pull the Puff Pastry out of the freezer and allow to thaw for 40 minutes. Take one packet, roll until large enough to cover bottom of a 13x9 or larger glass pyrex dish.
Grease the pan lightly, and place dough in bottom of pan, draping extra pastry over the sides.
Cut up carrots, celery, onions into 1/2 inch dice. I don't dice the carrots, I just slice the circles thinly.
Saute veggies in oil until onions are barely translucent. Remove from pan and set aside.
Cut up chicken breasts into 1" pieces.
Saute chicken until browned on each side, but not cooked through. Save the pan to make gravy.
Using the gravy mix of your choice, make gravy using the scrapings from the chicken. Set aside.

CONSTRUCTION

Place a layer of cooked veggies on the bottom of the pastry covered dish.
Add a layer of peas atop the veggies.
Add 1/2 of the chicken pieces atop the peas.
Place a second layer of veggies, then peas, then chicken into the dish.
Pour the gravy over the entire concoction and top with a second layer of Puff Pastry.
Brush water along the bottom edges of the pastry, and then seal the bottom and top layers together. Roll the excess into the pyrex dish.
Bake until top of pastry rises and turns a light golden brown.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting open.