Chicken Potpies With Puff Pastry From Martha Stewart Food

INDIVIDUAL CHICKEN POTPIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 1 1/2-cup ovenproof dish on pastry on a floured surface. Cut circle from pastry, 1/2 inch larger than dish; cut vents. Repeat. Refrigerate on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, until soft, 4 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and potato. Cook, stirring, until soft, 6 minutes. Stir in flour, then broth; bring to a boil. Add greens and chicken. Simmer until thickened, 2 minutes; season.
• Divide between dishes. Top with pastry, press edges to seal, and brush with egg. Bake on a baking sheet until golden, 25 minutes.

CHICKEN POT PIES

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large stockpot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chicken is cooked through (until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees), about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Use tongs to remove chicken. When cool enough to handle, pull off and discard the skin, then separate the meat from the bones and tear into bite-size pieces. Reserve 2 cups of stock for the pot pie and the rest for another use.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms are heated through. Add cognac and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in reserved 2 cups chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into six (12-ounce) ramekins, let cool.
• Roll out thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out six circles that are 1 inch wider than ramekins or bowls being used. Cut a 1/2-inch vent hole in the center of each circle. Transfer puff pastry circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon water. Remove puff pastry circles from freezer. Top each ramekin with a puff pastry circle, crimping edges over sides to seal, and brush with egg wash. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer ramekins to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until puff pastry is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

EASY CHICKEN POTPIES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide filling among four 8-ounce ramekins. Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry and cut 4 rounds to fit ramekins. Cut a small X in center of each to vent, then place on top of filling. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees until filling is bubbling and crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

CHICKEN POTPIE WITH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• At least 3 1/2 hours (or up to one day) before the filling is ready, roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 3/16-inch-thick square. Place on a baking sheet, wrap tightly with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• Remove chilled dough from refrigerator, and place on a cutting board. Directly onto the dough, invert a bowl or place a lid that is 2 1/2 to 3 inches larger in diameter than a 3-quart round casserole or souffle dish. With a sharp knife, cut around the bowl or lid so that you have a perfect circle. Return the circle of dough to the baking sheet, wrap tightly with plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours.
• Place a rack in lower two-thirds portion of the oven. A convection oven is ideal; preheat it to 375 degrees. If you don't have a convection oven, preheat a conventional oven to 425 degrees. In a large heavy-bottom pot, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, potatoes, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms are heated through. Add cognac, and cook for 30 seconds. Add flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer; cook until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 3-quart casserole or souffle dish. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Make egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon water. Remove dough circle from refrigerator, and brush surface evenly with egg wash. Invert dough and place directly over the casserole, pressing lightly to seal overhanging crust to the side of the dish. Brush top surface of dough with egg wash. With a 1/2-inch large round pastry tip (Ateco #7), cut a small circle in the center of the pastry, removing the pastry circle, and insert the pastry tip, narrow side down, into cut-out hole. This allows the steam to vent.
• Transfer casserole to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes; cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent crust from burning, and continue baking for 25 minutes more. Serve hot.

CHICKEN POTPIES WITH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook shallot in oil in a large pot overmedium heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add carrot, parsnip,and potato. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add wine; simmeruntil reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock; bring toa boil. Add chicken and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes. Seasonwith salt and pepper. Add cornstarch mixture and cream. Bringto a simmer; cook until thick, about 5 minutes.
• Divide mixture among four 6-ounce ramekins; top withpastry. Brush with egg. Cut a hole into each to vent. Bake ona baking sheet until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.

CLASSIC CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water); do not overmix.
• Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables.
• Slowly add broth, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peas. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in chicken and parsley. Pour filling into a 2-quart baking dish.
• On a floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Place dough over dish and fold overhang inward while pinching to crimp edge. Cut vents in dough. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around edge, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Weigh the flour accurately. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add 1/2 cup flour. Mix until smooth. Scrape this dough into a flat square about 1 inch thick. The square should measure about 5 inches by 5 inches. Wrap well in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine remaining flour with the salt. Gradually add the cream and mix until a rough dough is formed; it should not be sticky. Do not overmix. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 12 inches by 7 inches, wrap in plastic, and chill, at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the flour dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Place the butter square at the bottom edge of the rectangle, and fold the flour dough over to completely encase the butter, sealing the edges by pinching them together and forming tight hospital corners at the edges. Wrap well in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured board, gently pound the dough all over in regular intervals with a rolling pin. Working in only one direction (lengthwise), gently roll the dough into a 20-by-9-inch rectangle, squaring corners with a bench scraper and your hands as you go. Using a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. With a short side facing you, fold the rectangle in thirds like a business letter, aligning the edges carefully and keeping each edge square. Turn the dough a quarter-turn clockwise, so the flap opening faces right, like a book. This completes the first turn. Pound across the dough, again in regular intervals, and roll out again to a 20-by-9-inch rectangle, rolling in the same lengthwise direction. Fold dough again into thirds. This completes the second turn. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
• Repeat the rolling, turning, and chilling process for a total of six turns; always start each turn with the opening of the dough to the right, and always make your tri-fold in the same manner, that is, by starting from either the top of the dough or the bottom each time. By the sixth and final turn, the dough should be very smooth, with no lumps of butter visible. Use as little flour as possible for the rolling, and brush off any excess before folding the dough. If the dough becomes too elastic or too warm to work with, return it to the refrigerator until firm.
• Wrap the finished dough in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 2 hours after your final turn, or freeze for future use.