Quick Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Since I have already done a chicken pot pie recipe, I'll keep this one brief. I have also simplified this version of the recipe by eliminating the bottom crust.

This is the continuation of a series of dishes, where the main components of the dish comes from the leftovers of the previous dish. Doing meals in series allows you to make several dinners with the bulk of your effort put into the 1st dinner, then the rest almost come for free. 

The first recipe in this series was Chicken Stock and Consommé,

http://goldenislescooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/chicken-stock-and-consomme.html

which was followed by Chicken and Dumplings,

http://goldenislescooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe-follows.html

Now we are going to take the dumpling leftovers and make a quick chicken pot pie filling, for a great homemade dinner that takes about 15 minutes of prep time.

The recipe that will follow this recipe is Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup.

Note: It is important to realize that these recipes are merely guidelines to follow. They'll taste great as they are, but I encourage you to play with them and make the recipes your own.

Note: It is good practice to read the entire recipe, while paying particular attention to the "Notes", before you try to make the dish, as there are often subtleties that can be easily overlooked, which sometimes, can make all the difference in the world for the outcome. 

Makes 2 servings, plus some leftover.

Skill Level: Beginner

Prep time: about 2 minutes, i.e. pull everything out and place on the stove.

Cook Time: about 20-25 minutes for the filling and 40-45 minutes for the crust, plus one hour rest time between steps.

Ingredients:

• Left over chicken and dumplings
• Frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 1 sheet of puff pastry (not pictured)
• 1 egg  (not pictured)
• 1 cup of water
• Black pepper, preferably fresh cracked.
• Kosher salt

Tools Needed:

• Medium Rondo
• Wooden spatula for stirring
• Measuring cup
• Petty or paring Knife
• Brush for egg wash
• 1 Fork

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the leftover chicken and dumplings in a rondo with about a cup of water. Simmer until the dumplings have broken down and have begun to thicken the mixture.







Add the frozen veggies and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until the filing has become fairly thick.

Note: The dumplings will act as the thickening agent, as they break down and release their starch into the mixture. Rice and pastas are commonly used as thickening agents in soups and fillings.

Allow to cool for about an hour.

Place cooled filling in a oven safe bowl. Then top with a sheet of puff pastry.

Note: Most earthenware or china bowls will be oven safe for this type of recipe.

Use a knife and cut the excess pastry off the edge of the bowl and cut vent slits. Use a fork to crimp the circumference.







Note: It is best to cut under the edge of he bowl, instead of right on the edge of the bowl. This way you have a small lip of pastry wrapped around the edge of the bowl, better securing the top crust.

Paint a thin, even coat of the egg wash over the tops of the pies. 

Note: Make sure the egg is painted on evenly, or it will make dark streaks on the thicker spots.

Place the pies on cookie sheets and place in a 350 degree oven.

About 25 minutes in, check the pies, cut off any unruly pastry that you missed earlier.

Note: If your oven has hot spots, it my be necessary to rotate the pies every 20 minutes so they brown evenly.

Approximately 45 minutes later, the pies will look like this.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Note: if you are going to proceed to the next recipe in the series, make sure you save all the chicken pot pie leftovers, including any unused pie filling and any uneaten portions (When you are done eating your pie, if you have any filling and/or crust left in your bowl, simply scrape the remainder back into the rondo you prepared the filling in, and place in the refrigerator for the next recipe. 

Enjoy