Heart-Shaped Shortcut Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 sheets store-bought frozen pie dough, thawed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small onion, cut into ½ inch chunks
2-3 celery stalks, cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large carrot cut into ½ inch chunks
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons of flour
1 ½ cups chicken stock
½ cup whole milk or cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken cut into small chunks or shredded
½ cup frozen peas
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven. Set out a 2 quart round ceramic baking dish (or any 2 quart oven safe casserole dish will do).

Note: Don’t forget to take your pie dough out to allow it to defrost completely.

Step 2: In a stock pot, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add in onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaf. Cook until vegetables begin to get tender, about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Note: It’s very important to remove the entire bay leaf; this is a chocking hazard.

Step 3: In another saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Cook flour and butter mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to turn a golden color, about 1 minute or so until it forms a roux. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring continuously until gravy begins to thickens, about 2 – 3 minutes.

Step 4: Add gravy, chicken, and frozen peas to the vegetables in the skillet.

Step 5: Stir mixute gently but thoroughly so it is completely combined. This is your filling.

Step 6: Pour entire mixture into casserole dish and top with one sheet of pie dough. Crimp the edges using your fingers.

Step 7: Place remaining sheet of pie dough onto a flour surface and use a knoife or a heart-shaped cokie cutter to cut out heart shapes.

Step 8: In a small bowl combine beaten egg with water and brush the top of the dough with egg wash.

Step 9: Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Note: If pie crush starts to get browned too quickly, cover the top loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.

Want more Valentine’s Day recipes?

Find more recipes form Christina Stanley at Take Back Your Table.

Christina Stanley-Salerno is a recipe developer, food stylist, photographer and blogger at TakeBackYourTable.com. She has an intense passion for the family meal and as a work-at-home mother of two growing boys, knows first-hand the challenges of trying to get a meal on the table. Before going freelance, she was on-staff at Every Day with Rachael Ray where she had the pleasure of working alongside some of the best in the food business. She is now a full-time work at home mom, writing recipes for everyone from Momtastic to Parents.com. Creating simple, quick and healthy meals is her specialty and her trick to keeping the family meal a reality, even on busy weeknights.
Follow her on Twitter @TakeBackTables