Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

Okay here I am, and here is my Martha Monday post...on Wednesday! I made it on Monday though, so I am sure that counts. Pru of Perfecting Pru chose this weeks MM project and her choice was Lighter Chicken Pot Pie. She picked this recipe because she has never made chicken pot pie before. I usually make mine with mashed potatoes and a regular pie crust top and bottom.

I think this is a winner in my book for a lighter chicken pie version, and no potatoes. I did make a couple of little changes though...hey what did you expect? I had some mushrooms and parsnips so I added some of them in there and I totally forgot the peas!

Here is Martha Stewart's Recipe from Martha Stewart Living, January 2006:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 1/4 cup melted butter
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (I used 1 large one)
1 garlic clove, minced (I used more and a little garlic powder)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups reserved stock from Poached Chicken (I used a little less and chicken stock instead)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 medium carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices (also parsnips and a few mushrooms)
3 medium celery stalks, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I used 2)
Poached Chicken
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus about 1/2 cup leaves for crust and sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon (I used my dried herb blend that had tarragon in it)
1/2 cup slightly thawed frozen peas (totally forgot the peas)
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling (optional) (Yes I did this)
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup stock. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup stock into the flour in a small bowl. Whisk into shallot mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
2.Add carrots and celery. Bring to a boil. Stir in chicken. Return to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped parsley and tarragon. Let cool. Stir in peas. Transfer to a 2-quart (8 1/2-by-12-inch) baking dish.
3.Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with melted butter. Sprinkle with parsley leaves. Repeat with remaining phyllo, parsley, and butter; do not sprinkle parsley on final layer. (Keep unbuttered phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel.) Drape crust over cooled filling; tuck in edges. Cut four 4-inch slits in crust for vents. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
4.Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and recut vents. Serve immediately in shallow bowls.

I also used some chicken stock instead of the liquid reserved from the poached chicken, and sprinkled some of my dried herb blend (tarragon, basil, dill, chives, chervil) over this before I place the phyllo on top. I guess I changed it more than I thought....




I am not used to using phyllo dough I usually would use puff pastry here instead, but it turned out pretty good.


...and it actually worked ...pre-slicing in made it easy to cut when it was out of the oven all golden brown and bubbly.



Everyone liked it and ate their fair share...



I had to make sure I grabbed a piece and put it aside so I could enjoy this for my lunch the next day! It sure made a great lunch... even if the phyllo wasn't as crisp as it was the first night. I made people say mmmm....that smells good!