Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs ( or breasts)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onions, chopped ( large is fine too)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 small celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced ( domestic or wild)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ( you can use a bit more, use to taste)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced
puff pastry sheets, for a 9x 13 pan ( I use store bought of course!)
Directions:
Follow directions for thawing/preparing puff pastry sheets.
Adjust oven rack to low center position, heat oven to 400.
Put chicken broth in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer until chicken is just done, 8 – 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a bowl to cool. Transfer broth to small bowl.
Increase heat to medium-high and heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the dutch oven.
Add onions, carrots and celery and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put cooked veggies in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Saute mushrooms in remaining 1 tablspoon of oil until liquid evaporates and mushrooms start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, shred checken into bite size pieces. (Reserve any accumulated chicken juices). Place chicken in bowl with the veggies, add mushrooms to mixture.
Heat butter over medium heat in dutch oven. When foaming subsides, add flour, cook for about 1 minute whisking constantly. (This step is important, do NOT cook less than 1 minute). Whisk in reserved chicken broth, milk and any accumulated chicken juices and thyme.
Bring liquid to a simmer, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring, until sauce fully thickens about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in sherry. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Pour sauce over chicken-vegetable mixture, stir to combine. Stir in peas an parsley.
Pour mixture into a 13×9 pan or any shallow baking dish of your preferred size.
Place puff pastry sheet over pan and gently press to edges. You may need to lightly roll out the pastry sheet to get the right size. If you use different pans, you will obviously need to cut the puff pastry to the appropriate size, I use scissors and cut the pastry just a touch bigger than the diameter of the pan.
Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes for large pies and 20 – 25 minutes for smaller pies.
Serve immediately.
Servings: 6-8
Time preparation: 30 min.
Time total: 60 min.