Seriously, WHO doesn’t like a chicken potpie?! Rich, comforting, and satisfying… they are, to me, perfection. I decided to Lauren-ify mine and make them a little smokey and spicy by adding things like smoked paprika, poblano, AND jalapeno peppers. This recipe is way easier to make than it may seem and the little pies will be as impressive as they look! ALSO, with Halloween coming up this week I kiiiiind of feel like this would be the perfect meal for a fun fall night like that. Juuuuuust a suggestion…. A little TRICK-OR-(savory)TREAT for ya

 
You will need:

3 Tbs butter

2 cups chopped onion (1 med sized onion)

1 cup chopped carrots (1 med sized carrot)

2 cups chopped celery (about 4-5 stalks)

1 cup chopped poblano pepper (1 med sized poblano)

1 jalapeno ½ seeds removed and chopped (*optional)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

3 Tbs flour

1 cup white wine

2 1/2 cups of chicken stock

2 tsp of ‘better than bouillon” (or two cubes of bouillon)

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 Tbs agave (honey, sugar, or maple syrup work great too)

3 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken

2 Cups sweet corn (fresh or frozen)

Salt

Pepper

½ cup half and half (Heavy cream or whole milk work too… I only had fat free half and half on hand so that’s what I used! This made for a thinner filling, which was well received but for a thicker filling you’ll want to use heavy cream)

 

2 raw pie crusts (I buy mine- two come in the same package)

1 egg beaten

 

Makes 8 cups of filling for 4 individual pies (about 2 cups per pie) double recipe for more.

 

Melt your butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and add your veggies (onion through garlic). Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and sauté until veggies become translucent about 7 minutes. Sprinkle in your flour and sauté for another 3-4 minutes to cook out raw flour flavor, being careful not to burn it. Pour in your wine to deglaze your pan (scrape all the little bits off the bottom). Let wine cook out for about 2 minutes. Your mixture will thicken almost immediately (which is ideal). Pour in the next five ingredients (stock through agave). Bring your mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let your mixture cook for an hour or until thickened and veggies are tender. Add your chicken and corn and let the mixture warm through. Add your ½ cup of milk product (for a thicker pot pie you’ll need heavy cream). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (adding salt- which is commonly needed, pepper, more agave etc.). Turn off heat and let sit until ready to be pot-pied!

 

 

For the crusts: I use store-bought raw piecrusts. They turn out great and save me SO much time. If you like to make your own, go for it! And let me know so I can hand deliver a medal and a sash. Preheat your oven to 425 (or just 10 or so degrees under the package instructions)

 

 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out your crusts. Measure the top of your individual pie-vessels. I do this by turning the vessels over on to the crust and cut around the circumference of the top. I always leave at least a half of an inch of extra dough all the way around. Continue cutting your dough until you have enough crust-tops for all of your potpies. If you need to take some scraps and add them back to the dough so you have enough that’s totally fine! Just try not to warm the dough too much with your hands. I basically just press on the seam to adhere them to one another and done!

 

I always lightly grease my individual potpies before filling them. Fill them until they are almost full (I leave about ¼ inch of space between the filling and the top. Lay your first crust over your first potpie and using your fingers, pinch to secure the crust to the dish.

Brush a thin layer of egg wash onto your crusts, sprinkle with salt, and cut a few slits in the top with a paring knife. Bake at 425 until crusts are medium-dark golden brown. If your edges seem to be browning too quickly and your center is still raw- you can cover the edges with strips of foil until you’re done baking.

 

Remove from oven and let sit. These things are like mini-volcanoes. That lava is HOT and will pretty much remain hot for a long while… which I think makes them great for entertaining. You can take them out of the oven before your guests even arrive and they’ll have time to cool while you visit with your company!

Sprinkle with herbs (if you’d like) and dig in!!!! *With caution lol..

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’18’]