It's the end of the week and what better to do with the leftover chicken or turkey, than turn it into a pot pie? I personally, like to make a big pot of healthy soup or veggies once a week, so I decided to make a big pot's worth of chicken pot pie stew and bake the pastry separately. You can easily buy the store-bought puff pastry, although I opted to try a homemade shortcut version of the pastry. Verdict was, it was delicious, although dense and wasn't convinced it was worth the effort and price of the butter. So, store-bought it is. Consider this a leftover/ freezer raider recipe. The fresh flavor-kick comes from fresh dill and lemon zest at the end. If you don't have fresh herbs, use your favorite dry for now. If you do decide to commit to dill, use it to make a dill yogurt sauce and top your next seafood dinner or blend it with the rest of your cream cheese... the options are endless... but in the meantime, make some pot pie.
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4 medium carrots
4 stalks celery
4 Tbsp flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk, plus more as needed
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-4 cups leftover cubed/ shredded chicken, skin and bones removed (use as much as you have!
8 oz frozen peas/ frozen vegetable medley
8 oz frozen pearled onions
1 lemon, zested
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 package store-bought puff pastry, thawed for at least 2 hours
1 beaten egg
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high until melted. Add onion, carrots, celery, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour, stir to coat vegetables, and slightly toast, 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of stock, stir to combine and prevent lumps. Slowly stir in remaining stock and milk, and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, vegetables, lemon zest and dill. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add more milk if necessary and adjust seasoning to taste.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F. Cut pastry into 6 squares. If you have extra, cut into strips or squares and brush with egg wash, sprinkle with dill and sea salt. Bake until golden-brown, about 15 minutes.