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I’m still in mini-mode, guys. First it was the hand apple pies, then the donuts. Today it’s mini easy chicken curry pot pies. Aren’t they adorable?
I went into a casserole frenzy last week. We’re in a bunchy time for our family right now with the hubby’s job. He’s had some crazy hours, and he’s in the process of hearing from the powers-that-be about his next step, career-wise. Because my Type-A personality won’t just let things lie, I’ve been obsessing and fretting. Then I decided that I needed a productive outlet for all this bunchiness, so I’m pouring all of my stress into rich, creamy sauces. I mix these sauces into an ovenproof dish along with meats and vegetables, and while they bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees, I drink a glass of wine and let my mind drift. The whole process has proven to be very therapeutic. The number of casseroles that we’ve been consuming is in direct proportion to my stress levels lately.
Okay, so we’ve been eating only casseroles for two weeks.
Of course, making individual portions of easy chicken curry pot pies in ramekins helps to break up the monotony a little bit.
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I usually think of chicken pot pie as a complicated, Sunday-night dinner sort of meal, but then I found this Martha Stewart recipe for a basic chicken pot pie that changed my mind. Instead of rolling out my own crust, I used prepared refrigerated puff pastry (my favorite kind is from Trader Joe’s) as the topping, which cut down on prep time and also made this dish weekday-worthy. Plus, these can be assembled ahead of time and then baked in a preheated oven to cut down on the after-work crunch time.
I made a riff on Martha’s traditional recipe by flavoring the sauce like a curry. The curry adds a nice, sweet heat to the chicken pot pie, which already has flavorful bits of simmered chicken breast, potato, carrots and peas floating throughout. Instead of the heavy cream that usually serves as the base for chicken pot pie, I chose to use coconut milk. As we cracked through the surface of our chicken pot pies, I realized that the combination of puff pastry with curried coconut sauce made our individual pot pies seem like larger, juicer curry puffs. I LOVE curry puffs, so this was a revelation and a delight that resulted in clappy hands and laughing.
In the end, the mini chicken curry pot pies were a big hit with the family. I watched them dig around their ramekins like pirates searching for gold. The puff pastry was no match for my little (and big) hooligans.
I guess if the worst thing to come out of stress is a bunch of casseroles, we’re doing okay.
easy chicken curry pot pie
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Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
55 mins
This East-meets-West version of an American classic is a good dinner for a cold winter's night.
Serves: 8
Ingredients
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
½ cup fresh or frozen baby peas
5 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
1½ cups plus ½ cup chicken stock
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
5 teaspoons cornstarch whisked with 2 tablespoons water
½ cup coconut milk
1 package (14 ounces) puff pastry, cut into four 4¼-inch squares
1 large egg, lightly beaten and mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the insides of 8 ramekins with unsalted butter and place on a baking sheet.
Cook onion, garlic and curry powder in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until onion is soft and fragrant (about 5-6 minutes).
Add chopped carrot and potato into the pot and cook until soft, stirring frequently (it should take about 10 minutes). Add ½ cup of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cook for a few more minutes, simmering. Season with salt and pepper and then add the cornstarch "slurry" (water + cornstarch) along with the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes more. Remove mixture from heat and let cool slightly.
Divide mixture among the ramekins and top with the puff pastry squares. Brush the tops of the pastry with the egg, then carefully cut a slit in the center of each pastry square to let steam escape while the pies bake.
Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until the puff pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack slightly; serve.
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I used this Martha Stewart recipe as inspiration for my version
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