Chicken Pot Pies

I have many go-to comfort foods to make when I don’t feel well (see bottom of post for more) and this is one of them. Chicken Pot Pies, that will make you say, “Oh my!”

I felt a bit under the weather the other day, so I made them. I stayed in my pajamas, reading, drinking tea and had these ready for dinner when my husband got home from work. Two words: Pure. Heaven. In a small individual servings. O.k., that’s seven words, but whatever…

They take a bit of time because this recipe calls for homemade cream of chicken soup, not canned, but it’s well worth the effort in the end. This recipe makes 7 ramekins full of thick cream of chicken soup full of veggies and just a touch of chewiness from the golden brown crust topping. I made it gluten free with Pillsbury Gluten-Free Pie Crust, so to me it was extra good and much easier than making a pie crust homemade. I mean, I was sick, what do you want? 😉

Ingredients:

5-6 boneless tenderloins

1- large carrot, peeled, sliced

4 small potatoes – peeled, diced

1/2 cup – frozen peas

1/4- cup – corn

3- Tbsp. butter

3 and 1/2 cups- chicken stock

1 tsp. celery salt (I hate the consistency of celery, but like the taste of it)

Parsley- a generous shake

1- teaspoon thyme

1 Tbsp. onion flakes (hate onions too, so I use flakes…. (or for you, 1/2 an onion diced small)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 and a 1/4 cup – almond milk, plain (you can use regular milk)

1/2 Gluten-Free Flour (you can use regular flour, if you’d like)

1- egg

1 tsp.- water

Pillsbury Gluten Free Pie and Pastry Dough (found in the refrigerated section near butter and eggs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray ramekins with cooking spray and set aside

Cook chicken in a skillet with a bit of stock or oil. I like to use Land O Lakes, Saute Express Garlic and Herb, about 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Cut up into pieces and set aside.

Peel and dice your potatoes while the chicken cooks. Put into a microwave dish and cover. Microwave until fork tender, about 9-12 minutes, depending on your microwave. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a dutch oven, add carrots, onion and celery (or just celery salt) and saute until tender.

Add your flour to the veggies and butter and stir until flour is no longer white.

Pour in 3 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock and cup of milk and stir.

Allow that to simmer and you’ll see it becoming thick as you stir.

Once thick, add your peas, corn, chicken and potatoes, any seasoning; salt, pepper, thyme and parsley and stir well. This is your homemade cream of chicken soup.

Ladle soup into greased ramekins, almost to the top. (You may have a bit of soup leftover…) Save it because you’ll eat it tomorrow.)

Place your filled ramekins on a baking sheet in case of spillage.

Knead the dough from the container for a bit until no longer crumbly. Add a bit of flour to your working surface if necessary to prevent sticking. (or if you’re feeling chipper, you can omit this step and make your own pie crust or use another store bought brand entirely in place of this.)

Cut out circles a bit larger than the top of the ramekins and lay on top of each one.

No need to crimp the edges, but press dough against the rim of the ramekin. Make a few slices on top of each to vent (like you would a pie).

Crack one egg into a small bowl with a tsp. of water and whisk.

Using a basting brush, brush each one with a the egg mixture, so it gets golden brown and a bit shiny, throw the rest of this egg mixture away.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, checking periodically that the crusts don’t burn. If they start to brown too fast, take them out and cover with foil to prevent further browning.

Allow to cool once done, then serve and enjoy. Careful! Contents are blazing hot, like lava! Whooweee!