Sometimes dishes are just screaming to be made from the depths of your freezer, fridge or pantry. This recipe was a happy accident last week in France, cobbled together from a bunch of ingredients originally bought for other recipes that yielded leftover “bits and pieces” that, in a tiny fridge need to be used up quickly.
The weather while I was in France for March Break these past two weeks was
- so much better than at home (you know, no snow storms!) but
- still a bit inconsistent as is the case in March in Southwest France. Some days is was gloriously sunny and warm (20˚C), other days it was crazy windy and yet other days it rained.
A bit of a mixed bag for sure and hard to plan activities.
Knowing I was entertaining a friend one particular day, we banked on the weather report being right (i.e. sunny and warm-ish) and while it was (finally), there was still a slight chill in the air so I wanted to make something “spring-like” but still in the realm of comfort food.
Enter: chicken, lardons (or finely diced bacon) and the first spring asparagus, cut to pea-sized pieces. Add some mushrooms and some puff pastry and you’ve got yourself a lovely pot pie that is “comfort food” but not too heavy. Perfect for eating outdoors on a sunny, but not yet too warm, spring day!
Chicken pot pie with mushrooms, bacon and asparagus
Quick and easy pot pie wiht asparagus, mushrooms, chicken and bacon.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1lb (450-500g) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 6 slices bacon, finely diced (1 cup)
- 1 small onion (150g), finely diced (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 small bunch asparagus, finely chopped (approx. 1 cup chopped into pea-sized pieces)
- 1/2 lb (227g) white or cremini mushrooms, quartered or thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup (38g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (250ml) milk
For the topping:
- Approx. 225-250g puff pastry, thawed but chilled
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
To garnish:
- Fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Heat a large, deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the bacon and cook for a minute or so until it starts to release its fat.
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring from time to time, until it’s just starting to brown on the outside (it may not be fully cooked on the inside), approx. 5-6 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces).
- Remove the chicken and bacon from the pan and place on a plate until ready to use.
- Add the onion, thyme to the pan with a big pinch of salt and a few grounds of black pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions are just starting to soften (3-4 minutes).
- Add the asparagus and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are starting to release their juices (5-6 minutes).
- Add the flour and mix until all the vegetables are completely coated.
- Add the chicken stock and cook until the liquid is starting to thicken into a sauce.
- Add the chicken and bacon back into the pot, then add the milk and stir to combine.
- Simmer until the liquid has reduced to a thick “sauce”. It should look like a slightly watery stew at this point.
- Pour the filling into a large baking dish (approx. 8 x 11-inches/ 20 x 28cm and 2 inches/ 5cm deep) and distribute evenly.
- Roll the puff pastry out so it’s big enough to cover the filling, with a slight overhang.
- Lay the pastry over the top of the filling and use your hands to gently press any air out from between the pastry and the filling. Fold the overhang inwards.
- Poke some holes in the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, to let some steam escape.
- Use the tines of a fork to decorate the edges and brush the pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is bubbling.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives to serve.
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Bonus? Leftovers are really, really good too!
What comfort foods do you still like to enjoy in early spring?
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Yummo – I could smell that dish from down under…. and we’re heading into winter soonish…