Chicken Pot Pie

In our family, this is the quintessential comfort food. There are NEVER leftovers. It takes some time, but the results are awesome. My staple food to bring as "Mercy Meals".

Chicken Pot Pie

3 bone-in whole chicken breasts
3 lbs. Idaho potatoes
1 lb carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery, optional
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons chicken base paste
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon herbs de provence or dried thyme
2 Cup cooking liquid and white wine or water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted


Simmer chicken breasts until done (35 min for bone-in, 15-20 for boneless). Set aside to cool, and then cut meat in chunks about 1" . Retain cooking liquid. Put carrots in cooking liquid and boil 10 minutes, add potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender. Again, save cooking liquid , draining into a measuring cup and supplementing with white wine or water to make the two cups needed in the sauce. In a deep 10" skillet or a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and saute onion (and celery) until softened. Remove and add these to the vegetables. Add the peas, frozen, now. In the same pan, melt remaining butter and whisk in flour. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture starts to get crumbly. Slowly whisk in liquid and stir until incorporated. Add herbs. then chicken soup. Taste and add salt if needed. Sometimes I add some milk to make the sauce stretch, because it disappears when you bake it with the chicken and veggies. You will get the hang of how much you need. Have a second can of soup on hand, if needed. Fold the chicken and sauce in a bowl with the veggies, then turn into a casserole dish (deep if your family isn't fond of crust, rectangular if they are. When puff pastry is pliable, roll out on floured board to fit pan. Congratulations. You have now used EVERY pan and utensil in your kitchen. Refrigerate until dinnertime or cook right away at 375 ° until filling is bubbling the rim of the crust and the crust is golden. Serving Size: 6-8

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Notes:
*Chicken base paste is in grocery stores beside dry soups.
* It can take up to an hour-plus to cook. Depends on your oven.
* You can use regular pie pastry, or even cook the puff pastry on a separate cookie sheet for a more impressive look. Sometimes I cut it in 8ths before cooking and plop them on, making it easier to serve.