Chicken Pot Pies

These are always popular in my house!  When I bake extra I have to hide them in the freezer so my sister doesn’t steal them!

Chicken Pot Pies

4 chicken breast halves-boneless, skinless*

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Juniper Provence Spice (or your favorite blend of spices)

1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper

1 package pie pastry with two sheets

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 ribs diced celery

2-3 finely chopped shallots

1 small onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 1/2 cups broth

2 large russet potatoes cut into 1/2″ cubes

1 cup frozen peas

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

6 cups milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken on a sheet pan and rub with the tablespoon of olive oil; season with Juniper Provence Spice, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Let cool and then shred meat. Set aside. *Alternately you could shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken; about 4 cups. Leave oven on.

After your pie dough has come to room temperature (about 15 minutes), gently unroll. Using cooking spray, lightly coat the dishes you want to use for your pot pies. I sometimes make big one casserole dish like a 9 x 11 or 10-12″round dutch oven and sometimes I make an assortment small ramekins. ( I usually get about 5-7) Roll pastry round out on a lightly floured surface and roll to a slightly larger size than it comes, about 14″. Working with one round, cut pieces to fit the bottom of your containers. I usually just line the bottoms. Use the second pastry round and either make pieces that are the same size as the containers you are using or cut into strips to lay across tops of pies after filling. Transfer container (s) to sheet pan lined with parchment paper and chill. Transfer top pieces to sheet pan and chill while making filling

Place butter and olive oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add diced celery, shallots, onions and carrots sauté 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Add shredded chicken. Gently stir in peas. Remove from heat and set aside

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add pinch of salt. Add flour and cook, over medium heat for one minute to cook the flour. Add milk, whisking to blend. Cook for about 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and add to chicken and vegetable mixture, gently stirring to blend. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Pour into prepared containers and top with pastry. Brush pastry with milk or cream and bake for 25 minutes for small containers and 35-40 minutes for large containers or until lightly browned and bubbly. If you can resist eating them the first night, wrap unbaked pies tightly. When baking frozen pies, add 15-20 minutes to baking time.