Chicken Pot Pie

For the past few months, I have been bombarded with paperwork from work.  It is a part of my job so I try not to complain about it, and hey, I have a job, so I am happy.  But nonetheless, I get overwhelmed and frustrated at times with all this crazy paperwork.  So my escape from it all is to cook my little heart out.  I am usually not super confident in my cooking and there are a few things here and there that I am actually pretty good at.  One of those things: Chicken Pot Pie.  One of my favorite meals that is eaten out of a bowl.  I do little things here an there to change up my recipe and spice things up, but the main components are pretty consistent.  I always have a mixture of white and dark meat from a chicken, onions, mushrooms, chicken stock, some heavy cream and puff pastry dough.  I also add a variety of spices depending on my mood and what I have on hand.  Since I was swamped with paperwork, I cut some corners and bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco and frozen puff pastry dough.  I was happy with the results and my only regret is that I did not get a picture of the filling.  (Once that pie was done, I dug into it as soon as it was safe enough to eat!)

I made 4 pot pies and these were the ones that puffed up perfectly! The 4th needed some more love in the oven, so I popped it in while taking this photo.  Pot Pie consisted of: white and dark meat chicken, sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, sweet corn, a bit of heavy cream, chicken stock and paprika that was cooked in a pot prior to baking in the oven.  After filling the ramekins, I topped them with puff pastry dough, brushed on an egg wash and chives, then sent them into the oven.  20 minutes later they were ready! :)

This pot pie didn't fully puff up and there was a break in the dough while baking.  But I found it so beautiful. Plus it was a little peek-a-boo moment for the pie saying to me, "Hey, check me out! I am beautiful inside."  I added some sliced up baked potatoes rubbed with paprika, garlic salt and Cajun spices served with chives and Greek yogurt.