Sweet Potato Chicken Pot Pies

I know it's nearly June.  Here in NY the weather has been pretty chilly.  The day I made this it was 50 degrees and rainy.  One of those chill to the bone gotta have soup or comfort food kinda days.  We had not had pot pie in a while.  I thought I'd better get it on before the heat of summer arrives.  Will rain and colder temps stop, I don't know?

I changed it up a bit with some sweet potatoes.  It was a good idea - it added such nice flavor.  This was the mix before the roux/gravy was added.

This is probably a technique not frequently used in pot pie but it sure is a technique used for stir frying.  Two tablespoons of corn starch sprinkled on the chicken. It not only coats the chicken and holds in the tenderness, it also helps to thicken the gravy as it cooks.

Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potatoes

1 pound chicken, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons corn starch
12 ounces sweet potato, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peas
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced and diced
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter

1/2 of a batch of pastry dough (recipe follows)

Anything you can do ahead of time, you will appreciate on the day you make this.  It's a great dish for company, just make sure all the prep work is done the day before.

In a bowl coat the chicken with corn starch.  Set aside.

In a sauce pan boil carrots and sweet potatoes until crisp tender. Place in large bowl and set aside.

In a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil, saute mushrooms, onions and celery until tender.  Add to large bowl.

Fry the chicken in the remainder of the of the canola oil. Do not cook chicken all the way through.  When you see some pieces are cooked and some are just a tad pink, turn off the heat and pour them into the large bowl.

Last but not least, make the roux.  Melt the butter in that same frying pan, scraping it as you go.  Add the flour and let the flour turn golden before adding the broth. Whisk rapidly to remove clumps.  Add to large bowl along with the peas.

I did not add any seasonings other than salt and pepper.  It was so tasty just the way it was. Feel free to add what you like. Spoon into ramekins.  This will fill 6-8 ramekins (1 cup size).

Place disks of dough over top of the ramekins and pinch/press the sides down.  Place small slits in top to vent. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and place in a 425F oven.  It will take 30 to 40 minutes.  Once the tops have turned golden, they are done.


Ruff Puff Pastry

3 sticks (12 ounces) butter
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup iced water

Place flour and salt in a processor.  (Do not over process once you add the butter, be light with the button). Add the butter, cut into 2 ounce pieces.  Add the cold water very  slowly.  You may or may not need it all.  Once the dough begins to gather into a ball, stop the processor.  Gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so (or up to overnight).

For the pot pies roll out into a 1/4 inch thickness and cut discs larger than your ramekins.