Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Okay.
Mason absolutely LOVES chicken pot pie. I have always been a little nervous to make my own because it seemed just a little too involved. Like too much work and it could flop!

I came across this recipe on ZipList from The Country Cook and thought, "You know what? I AM A WIFE! I have to give this a shot!"

Lets just say... Mason loves me more.
The recipe is not hard at all! A little time consuming, but if you have the time and plan ahead a little, its totally worth it! Promise!

Ingredients:
- 1-2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
- 2 large chicken breasts
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water

First: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper. Let cook in the oven for 45 minutes, turning over once in the middle. (You can also skip this part all together if you buy pre-cooked chicken!)

Second: After putting the chicken in the oven, take out the pastry puff from the freezer to give it time to defrost. Once the chicken is done cooking, allow time for it to cool and then cut into bite size pieces.

Third: In a large saucepan, melt butter and flour together. The consistency will end up being similar to peanut butter. Slowly add in milk and chicken stock (keep stirring, it will be lumpy), and then add in garlic and onion. If you need to, using a whisk at this point helps break up any lumps. Turn up the heat until the mixture is boiling.
-I found it helpful to have all my ingredients ready before I started making the filling-

Fourth: Once the mixture has reached a boil, turn down the heat to low and mix in the peas and carrots and chicken. Give it a few good stirs and a taste test to see if you need any extra seasoning. (I needed a little more salt and pepper). Fill your bowls/ramekins with the filling and place on a baking sheet.
-If your anything like me, and had no idea what a "ramekin" was... here is a picture :)

Fifth: Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Throw a little flour on your baking surface and open up the puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, smooth out the puff pastry just a tad until there are no seams and your have a little more pastry to work with. Place a ramekin/bowl you are using for the filling on the pastry as a guide and cut around the bowl leaving 1/2 inch extra, that way there will be enough pastry to hang over the sides.

Sixth: In a small bowl, mix together egg and 1 tbsp of water. This will be the egg wash that will make your puff pastry look professional :) Dip your fingers in the wash and run them around the edges of the ramekin/bowls. This will help the pastry stick to the top of your bowl! Now, place the puff pastry on the top of the bowls and press the edges down around the sides. Using a brush, lightly coat the top of the pastry with the egg wash. Load these puppies in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are light brown and perfect!

This recipe makes six servings if you are using 10oz ramekins. I ended up using bigger bowls and it made 4 servings. If you are cooking for two, the filling can be frozen and used again later!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and here's to fall baking!!