When my husband and I were on our cruise last summer, the ship dining room featured some celebrity chef dishes by Curtis Stone. One of the most memorable was Chicken and Leek Pot Pie with a Puff Pastry lid. When I returned home, I looked for a recipe and to my delight found one posted by Curtis Stone. I love making these in individual size ramekins. I have doubled the recipe and it makes 6-8 servings depending on the size ramekin that you use.
adapted from Curtis Stone | Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 5 whole chicken legs (legs and thighs attached)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 large leeks, dark green leaves cut off, halved lengthwise, washed thoroughly, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
- 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 (14 oz) box Pepperidge Farms puff pastry, cut into squares to fit the ramekins
- brush tops with 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp whole milk for glossy finish
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the chicken thighs on wire racks over a rimmed baking sheet. Season both sides of the chicken legs with kosher salt and pepper. Place skin side up on your rack. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken. When the oven has come to temperature, roast the chicken for 30 minutes or more until cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375F. Allow the chicken to cool off before discarding the skin and pulling all the meat off the bones and placing the meat in a bowl. Discard the chicken bones. Pour chicken drippings in a fat separator and add the juices to the pot pie mixture later. Discard excess fat.
In a large sauce pan, over medium high heat, melt the butter and add the chopped onions and chopped leeks to the pan. Cook until tender about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the mustard and flour and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, pan drippings and bring to just a simmer. Continue to cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until the soup begins to thicken. Stir in the chopped chicken, chopped tarragon. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Fill the ramekins nearly full with the pot pie filling. Roll out puff pastry and cut them into squares slightly larger than your ramekins. Cut slits in the puff pastry and cover the filled ramekins with the puff pastry squares. Brush the puff pastry with egg and milk mixture. Bake the ramekins on a baking sheet for 25 to 35 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and has puffed up. Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking sheet and allow to cool 10 minutes before serving. Beware ramekins will still be quite hot.
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