As promised, I start sending out my tried and tested recipes.  No frills dishes or pretentious meals. Just pure home made goodness that’s sure to be a hit when you serve it to family and friends!  I’m not one who believes in quick, easy, instant meals, all the time.  I like to relish in what I make and take the time preparing a nourishing and soulful meal.  I will try to be as clear as I can in transmitting these recipes to you, so that your experience making them is always enjoyable.  I won’t give you complicated ones either.  Just palate pleasing dishes you and your chosen ones can appreciate.  First in this series, is this hearty chicken pot pie.  A one pot meal, complete in itself.  You can serve it alone or with a side salad, making it simple that way.

Savoury Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• about 4 chicken breast fillets, boiled, then, cubed
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 small to medium potatoes, diced
• 1 whole, large onion
• a few celery stalks (3-4) and some celery leaves.  Stalks chopped.
• chicken stock
• 1 cup cooking cream
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed in 3 tbsps. water
• salt and pepper to season
• fresh thyme (the secret to success ingredient)
• 3 tbsps. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• Pampas puff pastry sheets from Santis deli.

Procedure

In a sauce pan, boil the 4 chicken breast fillets with about 5-6 cups water, one whole onion, celery leaves and some salt and pepper.  This makes a very flavourful stock.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove them from the stock and cube them, reserving the stock.

chicken stock made from all natural ingredients

In another  deep saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter, once bubbling, sauté thyme leaves (this is the secret to a very flavourful pot pie) for about three minutes.

sautè thyme till you smell the aroma

Then add in the celery, carrots, potatoes and a thyme sprig. Sauté for a bit then add some salt and pepper. I use white pepper when my dishes are cream based.

Add two large soup ladles of the reserved chicken stock and simmer vegetables till tender but firm.  Do not overcook.  Once vegetables are ready, add the cooked chicken.  Stir.

Then add the diluted cornstarch to thicken a bit.

Add the cream, and season again with salt and pepper, if needed.

Stir and remove thyme sprig.  Simultaneously, when chicken is half done, make sure you have pre heated your oven for baking the puff pastries.  Follow package instructions.

Cut one large sheet into four squares before putting them in the oven.  We put ours on a cookie sheet.  When the puff pastries have risen and are golden brown, remove them from the oven.  Then, quickly ladle some chicken pot pie mixture into a bowl, then top with a golden pastry and serve immediately.  Serves 4-5.

dip, dunk and smother your pastry to soak up every bit of the sauce!