Chicken Pot Pie with Mashed Potatoes

I don't remember loving Chicken Pot Pie as a kid. It always seemed too soupy and I am certain that I did not appreciate the vegetables that were in it nor did I care for the so called flaky crust. Knowing that it has been a long time and that my tastes have changed I decided to give Chicken Pot Pie another try.

I select the recipe listed below for a few reasons. The first being that it did not call for a "can" of anything (yeah). The second reason is the one I mentioned before of not finding the crust as flaky as people claim. So here is the recipe that allowed me to give the pot pie another chance.


Chicken Pot Pie with Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 onions, diced
2 leeks, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, recipe follows
1 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Topping:
5 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: food mill, 6 (1 1/2 cup) ceramic ramekins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.






In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium high heat, saute the potatoes, onions, leeks, carrots, and garlic until golden. Add the white wine and simmer for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Mix the flour and milk until smooth and add to the vegetables, and cook until thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.




Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat and sear the chicken until golden. Cut seared chicken into 1/2 inch chunks and add it, the thyme, and parsley to the vegetables and set side.




For the topping: Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water, season with salt.

Over high heat bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Drain the potatoes and let them sit for 5 minutes to steam dry. Put the potatoes through a food mill. Warm the cream and stir into the potatoes. Mix in the butter. Season, to taste.

To assemble the pot pies fill 6 ramekins with 1 cup of filling each and top with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.




Very Good! Much better than what I remembered. I loved the carrots, leeks and corn (corn I just added b/c I thought it would be good). I also enjoyed the thyme flavor. I would make this again for sure.