Savory Herb-Crusted Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie

Ok faithful readers, here is yet another trial from the Campbell's Kitchen website.  The recipe originally says Turkey pot pie, but you can substitute chicken if you prefer, or in my case, that's what's in the fridge. I'm currently eating this for dinner while I type, and so far so good!

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

6 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

5 cups frozen mixed vegetables or your favorite frozen vegetable blend

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed according to package directions

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme and/or oregano)

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the turkey/chicken and vegetables in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Heat the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Gradually stir the broth into the saucepan. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the black pepper. Pour the broth mixture over the turkey mixture.Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 13x9-inch rectangle. Place the pastry over the filling. Press the pastry to the rim to seal. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the herbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbling.

My Recommendations:

I followed this one to the letter except for the fresh herbs part. I love fresh herbs, but could not find oregano at the store, and figured it would taste just as fine with dried parsley and oregano that I already had in house. I didn't use Thyme. I also didn't have the full size dish, or a rectangular one for that matter, since my 3 qt spontaneously combusted in the sink one day (no it was not hot! At least according to my hubby :) ). My options were to go .75 qt smaller or 1.5 qt bigger, so until I get another dish, I opted for the smaller of the two. To save time, I just boiled the chicken breasts and then diced them. I didn't use the full amount, since my dish was a little smaller. Having the oval dish made the crust part a little awkward as well, but it worked out alright. I think I'm going to add more chicken broth to the broth mixture. The butter evaporated pretty quickly, and the flour kind of congealed when I added the broth, so I used a whisk to break it up while it was cooking. I think the extra broth will also help add some extra flavor, which I think is needed. I usually don't salt things but I put a little salt on my meal tonight, so I'll be adding a little of that as well, along with a few other spices to kick the flavor up a little bit. Other than that, it's fabulous! Hubby likes it too, so another plus in the recipe book!

The Verdict:

Overall, I really like this recipe.  I've been looking for an easy pot pie after the one I kind of put together myself didn't really work out too well.  As I said, I'll be adding a few more things to kick the flavor up a bit, possibly trying cream of chicken soup instead of the broth/flour mixture.  The only thing about this recipe is that it isn't as quick as some of my others, but if you have the time and don't mind making a bit of a mess, go for it!

I'm trying two more new recipes for next week, so stay tuned!

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!