Another recipe I made up, this one for Mr. Gene’s dinner tonight. I used AI to be sure I got times and proportions right, so this is an AI-assisted recipe. AI also estimated the calories. This is basically a chicken pot pie, except it omits the soggy bottom crust and instead uses a puff pastry topping. I also used a round casserole dish instead of a pie plate.
This turned out to be tasty and filling, although certainly not low calorie! Using Roisserie chicken makes it simpler–one less cooking step. It looked good enough to use for guests. It makes four good sized servings or six smaller ones.
The main downside to this reicpe is that I wound up with several dirty dishes. I got an early start by chopping the vegetables and boning the chicken in the morning, but that meant several prep bowls got dirty. Then, of course, there’s the skillet and casserole dish, except since my skillet is oven-safe I could have just put the puff pastry on that and avoided the casserole dish altogether. I wanted something that looked better, though, so I paid the price of an extra dirty dish.
The store-bought puff pastry is, of course, square, so I trimmed the corners off and stuffed it down the sides of the dish to be sure nothing boiled over–it all fit fine and no oven disasters. A homemade pie crust would have worked fine, but not been quite as filling. Trimming the square puff pastry isn’t necessary, of course. I could have just let the puff pastry drape over the edge of the casserole. But…appearances again, so I trimmed the corners off. I sprinkled herbs de Provence, garlic powder, and flake salt on the puffed pastry for a gourmet touch.
Notes on equipment and ingredients: I used an 8 inch by 2.25 inch round casserole dish–about 2 quarts–that I got at Pier 1 years ago. It seems to be no longer available, but here’s a similar one one on Amazon. This recipe calls for flake salt, something I now keep in my kitchen since it’s great for sprinkling on chocolate chip cookies, among other things. My mandoline has a setting that makes dicing onions easy. It’s got safety features, so I don’t even need to use my kevlar gloves. This little tool is great for sifting small amounts of flour into soups, sauces, or to dust a countertop to prep a pie crust. If you don’t keep herbs de Provence in your kitchen, just mix some thyme, rosemary, oregeno, and savory together.
Rotisserie Chicken Puff Pie
Equipment
- 1 Deep-dish skillet
- 1 Casserole dish Approximately 2 quarts–I used a white 8" round
Ingredients
For the Veggies & Aromatic Base
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 celery ribs sliced
- 2 medium carrots sliced into thin rounds
- 3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- 2 to 3 cups rotisserie chicken shredded or cubed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas and corn blend
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 Small lemon juice and zest
For the Garlic-Herb Pastry Topping
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry thawed
- 1 large egg beaten (for egg wash)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp Herbs de Provence crushed between fingers (see note)
- 1/2 tsp flake salt like Maldon
Instructions
Prep the Pastry & Oven
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Unroll the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface.
- Optional Fit: Place your CorningWare dish upside down on the pastry and cut a circle 1 inch wider than the rim (or leave it square for rustic overhanging corners).
Sauté the Aromatics on the Stovetop
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the thyme then add the onion, celery, and carrots.
- Sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Stir in the minced fresh garlic for the last 60 seconds until fragrant. Do not let it burn.
Build the Velvet Gravy
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sautéed vegetables.
- Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream while whisking continuously to eliminate lumps.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens into a rich gravy.
Finish and Transfer the Filling
- Fold in the chicken, frozen peas, corn, and dried thyme.
- Fold in the lemon juice and zest
- Taste the gravy and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
- Pour the hot, bubbling filling directly into your ungreased, room-temperature CorningWare dish. [1]
Dress the Gourmet Crust
- Drape the puff pastry sheet over the hot filling in the CorningWare dish.
- Cut 3 or 4 small slits in the center of the pastry to let steam escape.
- Brush the top generously with the beaten egg wash.
- Sprinkle the garlic powder and crushed Herbs de Provence evenly over the wet egg wash.
- Crush the flake salt gently between your fingers and rain it over the top.
Bake and Serve
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove when the pastry is fully puffed, crisp, and deep golden-brown, with filling bubbling at the edges.
- Rest the hot dish on a wooden cutting board or thick trivet for 5 minutes before scooping to prevent thermal shock to the ceramic.
Let me tell you about my Thanksgiving sushi recipe.