Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust & Dream Kitchen Planning

I reworked a favorite recipe and hearty meal for chicken pot pies by adding more of a variety of vegetables and using flaky puff pastry. I’m also having some fun planning for a dream kitchen with ideas that can be done in a weekend and without a full remodel!

One of the most important features that topped my list when we were house hunting was a fabulous kitchen with a commercial grade range and refrigerator, a large center island, had a good size eating area that ran into the family room, and lots of windows to let in our warming southern California sun. What I didn’t anticipate was that I’d fall in love not only with the house (that did not have a great kitchen layout), but the property it sat on too. After some deliberation, it was the property + house that sealed the deal. I don’t regret it and we always talked about that one day we’d remodel and move things around to achieve part of that kitchen I so wanted. That was 14 years ago.

Planning A Dream Professional Kitchen

So how to achieve that dream professional grade kitchen without having to invest in a full remodel or major renovations? One option is to upgrade some of my heavy lifting appliances, like my range and refrigerator, with the new Frigidaire Professional Collection line of appliances! This new professional line of appliances has been designed to fit in standard-size home kitchen spaces, without having to completely renovate the kitchen. With a little paint, adding some tiles for the backsplash area, new countertops (getting rid of my grouted/tiled countertops!), and upgraded professional grade appliances that dream kitchen could be mine in as little as a weekend!

Frigidaire has teamed up with Lowe’s to launch their new line of Professional Collection appliances. I had to see it for myself: heavy-duty knob controls and healthy handles, commercial-looking style and Smudge-Proof™ stainless steel exteriors that clean easily and have some fingerprint resistance. My existing refrigerator is always in need of a wipe-down, especially when I’m in and out of it with baking ingredients on my fingertips!

I’ve put together the following inspiration board of what could be done in my kitchen right now in just one weekend without a major renovation. Upgrading with heavy duty professional-grade appliances and doing some small DIY updates and upgrades could give my kitchen a whole new updated, fully functional look that fits into our current lifestyle and the way I like to cook and bake today.

Planning A Dream Professional Kitchen: Inspiration Board

Click over to Lowe’s and use their Virtual Room Designer app to get an idea of what can be done in a weekend kitchen redesign with Frigidaire’s Professional Collection line of appliances along with some fresh paint and a new tiled backsplash above your range.

Visit and follow Frigidaire and Lowe’s on social media:

• Frigidaire @Frigidaire on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter
• Lowe’s @Lowes on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust

So with the dream kitchen redesign in mind using Frigidaire’s Professional Collection (that I do not own), what’s one of the first thing’s I’d make utilizing new professional-grade appliances? I reworked a recipe I’ve used before, adding more of a variety of vegetables and a puff pastry crust for Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies.

Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust: Mushrooms Prep

With this recipe, I would use the refrigerator to make sure the puff pastry stays cold and most of the veggies maintains their freshness in the crisper. The range is for making the chicken pot pie mixture (which can stand alone as a hearty soup!), and then popping these individual pot pies into the pro-grade oven. Of course, after cooking and baking a hearty meal like this, the last thing I want to do is dishes. Enter a commercial-grade dishwasher to clean up the cooked and baked on results!

Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust: Prep Mixture

There are several steps to this recipe, but don’t let that deter you. It’s absolutely worth it! The mixture itself turned out absolutely delicious as I’ve added sautéed mushrooms. Sautéing them brought out their earthiness and helped them retain good texture and color, instead of becoming slimy had you just added the mushrooms to the mixture uncooked.

Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust

I included a couple of red potatoes, celery, carrots, sweet petite corn, baby peas, onions, garlic and a toss of fresh thyme and parsley!

Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies w/Puff Pastry Crust

Be sure to read the notes in the recipe for tips on handling the puff pastry to get the results you’d expect. I’ve worked up the puff pastry two different ways as an example; one way is with fitted puff pastry, and the other is with an overhang of the pastry.

Also, don’t throw away the bits of puff pastry dough you’ll have leftover. Cut them up as small rounds and place them on the baking sheet that your ramekins are set on to bake. Use the puff pastry rounds to serve on the side with the pot pies as dippers to soak up all that chicken pot pie filling goodness!

Don’t forget to check out Frigidaire’s Professional Collection at Lowe’s.

Check out and follow my Pinterest “Kitchens – Rustic Elegance” pin board!

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Individual Chicken-Vegetable Pot Pies with Puff Pastry Crust

Serves 4, 12-ounce portions

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
• 4-6 ounces sliced mushrooms, cleaned and ends trimmed
•  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion (about 10-12 ounces), chopped fine
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick (if using large carrots, cut rounds in half for half-moons)
• 1 small celery stalk, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 2 small red potatoes (about 12 ounces), scrubbed and diced small
•  
• ½ cup all-purpose flour + additional for rolling out puff pastry
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
•  
• 4 ½ cups low-sodium/low fat chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half
•  
• 2 ½ – 3 cups (about 1 pound) cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup frozen baby peas
• ½ cup petite sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
•  
• CRUST
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size stockpot, melt the 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium to low heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes and cook until onions soften, about 6 minutes.
3. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is pale yellow and has thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth and continue whisking frequently. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until the mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, cooking for another 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, corn, garlic, thyme, parsley and prepared mushrooms; season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Evenly distribute mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes. Refrigerate until the chicken broth mixture is at room temperature, about 20-30 minutes (the mixture can be prepared a day in advance).
6. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured work surface roll out puff pastry and cut 4 rounds to fit ramekins -OR- cut squares about 1-inch larger than diameter of baking dishes for an overhang (see images). Cut a small X in center of each to vent. Place pastry round on top of each prepared baking dish.
7. Beat the egg in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, brush egg on the tops of each pastry. Refrigerate prepared baking dishes for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil. Place baking dishes on lined sheet and bake until pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 25-35 minutes.
8. Set hot baking dishes on top of individual serving plates and serve!
9. Leftovers: Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If the individual dishes you baked the pot pies in are freezer proof, you can prepare the pot pies to freeze. © Images & content: Cristina A-Moore for TeenieCakes.com.

Teenie Notes

• When working with puff pastry, make sure it’s kept cold. While preparing the ramekins and placing the pastry on each dish, refrigerate what you’ve already worked on. When the puff pastry goes into the oven it should be cold.
• Make Dippers: With leftover puff pastry dough, cut out small rounds, egg wash, and place the cold pastry rounds on the baking sheet with the ramekins and bake until golden
• Two ways to fit the pastry on top, either cut rounds to fit diameter or shape of your baking dish -OR- allow for a 1-inch overhang.

source Cristina A-Moore | Teenie Cakes