Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Even though Spring is here with the onset of warm weather, I am still craving some good ole’ comfort food. I am fortunate that I live next door to a pretty amazing year round fresh market called Westborn, which has some of the best produce in the Michigan area, so it was a no brainer the other day when I was walking up and down the aisles trying to decide what to make for a nice Sunday dinner. They make the most addicting rotisserie chickens that I could probably eat in one sitting all by myself. So, chicken and veggies were swimming around in my head as I came to the realization that a Chicken Pot Pie sounded pretty freaking delicious.

For those of you, who know me; know that I am pretty obsessed with anything in the form of a pie. I love pie, especially a savory pie full of yummy goodness. This Chicken Pot Pie hits it right on the money. This is probably one of my favorite recipes because it isn’t a super heavy dish like most stews or savory pies normally are. I try to keep it pretty simple and use the natural flavors of the ingredients as much as possible. The lemon, apple cider vinegar, and egg mixture is a trick I learned from when I worked in a Greek diner back in high school. I could never understand how George, the owner, was able to get his soup to have this velvety taste without adding any cream to the soup. It took a couple of years, but I was finally able to get him to give his secret away. The lemon, cider, and egg mixture adds just the right amount of acidity to the soup allowing all the flavors to meld together with a nice fresh and tasty finish.

• ½ the Juice of Lemon
• Olive Oil
• Water
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 5 Sprigs fresh Thyme
• 2 tsp. dried Rosemary (fresh works as well)
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch (optional)
• 2 Pre-made Pie Crusts (you can make a homemade one as well. Just enough for 2 9 inch pie crusts).

Directions:

1. Prep your ingredients by chopping the vegetables and shredding the chicken. Try to keep all the vegetables around the same size when cutting so it all cooks evenly.
2. Place a pot on the stove over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and heat for a couple of minute. Add in the garlic and onions and cook until the onions are tender and the liquid cooks off. Deglaze the pan with the wine and allow cooking for another 8 minutes or until the alcohol cooks offing. Add in the carrots, celery, chicken, and potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fill the pot half way with water and bring to a bowl. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and add in the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and salt/pepper. Cover and allow to cook for about 45 minutes to one hour. You want the veggies soft, but not mushy, so check them by piercing them with a fork when you reach the 35 minute mark. With 10 minutes left add in the peas. Once the soup is done remove from the stove and let rest.
3. In a separate bowl whip the egg, apple cider vinegar, and lemon till it is blended and frothy. Set a side.
4. Scoop the contents of the soup into a separate bowl, leaving the liquid in the pot. Set the bowl aside. Put the pot with the liquid back on the stove over medium high heat and slowly whisk in the egg, apple cider and lemon mixture. Do this very slowly because you do not want to cook the egg as you are adding it. Whisk in the cornstarch until desired constancy is reached (you can add more than the 2 tbsp. if desired). You should have a semi thick gravy. Remove from the stove and add the soup contents back into the pot coating all the vegetables and chicken. Taste and add a little slat and pepper if needed.
5. Take your mini cast irons or oven safe bowls and place them on a baking tray. Scoop the soup contents into each of them leaving about 1/2 inch space from the rim of the bowl. I used a pre-made crust, so all I had to do was open the box and cut large pie circles about 1 inch larger than the mini cast irons. Cover each top with a pie crust, crimping the sides. With a knife cut small slits into the top. Brush with either an egg wash or olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and then bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes (depends on oven). The tops should be golden brown and steaming.
6. Serve warm!

Note: You can make this into a large pot pie, rather than a mini if you prefer. Follow the same directions and then bake at 400 for about 45 minutes to one hour. I made 2 mini pot pies and then with the remaining ingredients left over made a small pot pie in a casserole dish that equaled about 4 servings alone.