Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Hello Foodies!

I asked Boston Pam if I could join in on the food blogging fun, so here I am! A word of caution form me-I am Italian. This means that some of these recipes are not exact (since most of my cooking is done by look, smell, or taste). I'll try my best to make the measurements into cooking terms, but there may be time where I refer to such measurements as shakes handfuls.

I've made this recipe (adapted from the Neely's) twice now (both on rainy summer days) and it is really great comfort food. I love chicken pot pie, but I hate making a big one since you get too much filling and not enough crust and you always have some left over. These are great the next day, since you can just pop them in the microwave or oven for a quick lunch or dinner!

This will make about 6-8 servings (depending on the size of your ramekins)

Ingredients:
*4 cups of chicken broth (though I use 3 since I like my filling a bit thicker)
*1 bouillon cube (or 1 tsp Better than Bouillon)
*1 stick salted butter
*1 medium onion, chopped
*2 large carrots, cut in 1/2 inch rounds (or about 10 baby carrots cut the same)
*2 ribs of celery, sliced
*3 tablespoons of fresh chives chopped
*2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine (I use already minced garlic- and a lot of it! 2 cloves probably equals 1 tbsp from the
jar, and I probably use 3 tbsp)
*Salt and pepper to taste
*1/2c All-Purpose flour
*2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional for a thicker filling)
*1/4c heavy cream
*3 tablespoons dry sherry
*1 store bought rotisserie chicken, cut in chunks
*4oz frozen peas (about half a small bag)
*2 store bought pie crusts
*1 egg beaten with a tbsp water

The Making:
Preheat the oven to 375degrees.

In a large saucepan heat the chicken broth and bouillon cube to a boil (if you use the Better than Bouillon you can skip this step entirely and add these ingredients later).

In a dutch oven or large pasta pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions , carrots, celery, chives, can garlic and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour (and cornstarch) and stir together until it becomes pasty and lump- free. Stir in the broth ( and bouillon if you skipped above step), heavy cream, sherry, chicken, and peas. Bring to a slow boil then reduce to simmer (stirring to be careful not to burn the bottom though!) Turn off and cover while rolling dough.

Flouring you counter top, roll out dough an extra inch. Using the ramekin for a guide cut out dough to cover the tops with about a 1/2 inch overhang.

Ladle filling into ramekins and cover with the rounds. Crimp edges, brush with egg mixture and cut small slits in the top. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 35 mins or until the filling is bubbling and the tops are a golden brown. Serve warm with a side salad and your favorite drink!

Tips and talk:
So this is a huge hit in my house. Phil loves it, and though he is not a leftover kind of guy, he eats these day after day for lunch or dinner. Miles is not such a fan of the whole thing together and won't eat a whole ramekin, but I usually leave some of the plain chicken and peas to the side for him. The whole recipe takes about an hour to do (maybe longer depending on your kids!) and guarantees a couple of meals for the week. Enjoy!