Anyone willing to admit that they watched Weird Science back in ‘the day’? I am. There’s only one reason I did though.
I wanted to be Kelly LeBrock. I wanted my hair to curl like hers did. I wanted my lips to be pouty and full like hers are. And I wanted to have her body; long legs, curves, perky boobies. Well, heck, she was created from a Barbie after all, right? Of course she was perfect.
(And yes, I said boobies.)
To add insult to injury, after Weird Science, Kelly did a series of commercials for Pantene. Remember the tag line? “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” It takes a lot of confidence to stand in front of a camera and say that, don’t you think? Kelly could say it because it was true.
Those five words were the first thing I thought of when I saw this picture. That pot pie is beautiful and it knows it. Puff pastry can do that for just about anything.
The Process
I made this yesterday. We returned home from church a little after noon and both Dudette and Hubby immediately started acting like little birds in a nest whose mother had just returned home with tasty treats. They were hungry.
While both magazines offer up a recipe chicken pot pie and both recipes looked fantastic. This one, however, this is one of Rachael’s famous 30 minute meals. For us, at that time, it was the deal breaker.
This is extremely simple to make. The puff pastry is a simple matter of thawing and laying out. I did have to roll mine out a bit more so it would fit all four bowls, but that was easy.
The filling uses already cooked chicken, whether store-bought rotisserie or leftovers. The rest of the ingredients receive a simple saute in a skillet before the gravy is made with chicken stock. Because the crust is baked while the filling is being made, time is cut in half, bringing this easily within the 30 minutes.
The Verdict
Absolutely enjoyable. And different. I must have had a very fresh jalapeno because we didn’t get a lot of heat from it but definitely got plenty of flavor. The cumin and coriander added to a definitely Tex-Mex flavor as well. Hubby and I both liked it quite a bit. Dudette won’t admit to it because she’s five, but she did finish her little pie.
One of the issues we had was that the serving sizes are very small. I needed either much smaller ramekins or much more filling. Hubby ate two of them and I was left wanting more. I also felt like I needed to serve a side of vegetables. I view onions, celery and peppers as aromatics more than anything and this filling had nothing but those (and in small amounts).
Is the ultimate chicken pot pie? Well, no, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s an easy-to-make spin on a favorite and it does its job admirably. Well done, Rachael, well done!
What I’d Do Different Next Time
I would double the amount of filling so I could have four hearty bowls and I would add corn. It’s still in the Tex-Mex theme but something I definitely consider a vegetable over 1/2 of a small red bell pepper.
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (such as Dufour), thawed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or EVOO
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 small ribs celery, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (about ⅓ palmful)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (about ⅓ palmful)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken meat
- Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees . On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry. Invert one of the bowls or mugs that you will be using to serve the potpie and place it on the pastry. Using a sharp knife, cut around the vessel; repeat 3 times to get 4 pastry rounds.
- Arrange the pastry rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake until deep golden, 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the butter to melt. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and jalapeno; season with the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then stir in the chicken stock until thickened. Stir in the chicken and heat through. Lower the heat and season with the worcestershire and hot sauce. Spoon the chicken filling into the bowls or mugs and top with the pastry rounds.
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Even with my best girdle on, I can't fit much more than my big toe in this tiny space, so please hit the ''read more' link if you'd like to get the skinny on me and the whole Taking On Magazines thing. 
