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Chicken Pot Pie with Apples and Leeks

Chicken Pot Pie with Apples and Leeks

Ingredients

For the poached chicken*:

  • 1 onion, quartered

  • 2 carrots and leafy tops, coarsely chopped

  • 2 to 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, coarsely chopped

  • 1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally

  • 2 bay leaves

  • Herb bundle of parsley, sage, thyme

  • 1 lemon, sliced

  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns

  • Salt

  • 1 3- to 4-pound chicken

For the Pot Pies:

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 2 leeks, chopped

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 2 large ribs celery, chopped

  • 2 Honeycrisp or Gala apples, peeled and chopped

  • Salt and pepper

  • A little freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon

  • 3 tablespoons flour

  • 1/4 cup Calvados or apple brandy

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1 1/2 cups poaching liquid (if poaching chicken) or store-bought chicken stock*

  • 1/2 cup cream

  • DuFour or other prepared pastry dough, defrosted 2 hours in refrigerator

  • 1 egg beaten with a splash of water

  • If you’re running short on time, use meat pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and store-bought stock.

Directions

Place ingredients for poaching chicken in a pot and add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 1 hour, turning occasionally. Cool chicken in stock then remove chicken to platter. Discard skin and bones, and pull meat into bite-size pieces.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add leeks, onions, celery and apples, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir 7-8 minutes until softened. Stir in flour, cook a minute or 2 then stir in Calvados and wine. Let reduce 1 minute then add poaching liquid or stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to low, add cream and thicken. Add chicken and keep warm.

Roll out puff pastry a bit on a floured surface and cut out circles the size of the bowls you wish to serve from. Lightly brush the pastry with egg wash and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden.

Serve the chicken filling in bowls topped with the baked puffed pastry rounds.