Chicken Curry Pot Pies
Indian spices add an international flair to chicken pot pies.
Ingredients
For the poached chicken base:
- 2 full bone in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, sliced
- 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, quartered
- 1 Fresno chili pepper, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 herb bundle of thyme and a small handful of cilantro
- Sea salt
For the chicken curry:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1-2 small ribs celery, chopped
- 1 parsnip, chopped
- 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons mild curry powder or 2 tablespoons turmeric, cumin and coriander combined
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4-1/3 cup Major Grey’s chutney
- 2 sheets puff pastry dough
- 1 egg
Directions
Place the chicken and ingredients for poaching in a pot and cover with water. Season the water with some sea salt and bring to gentle boil; reduce the heat to simmer and poach for 40-45 minutes. Remove the chicken to cool. Strain the stock and return to the stove to keep warm.
Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with EVOO. Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
Melt the butter into the oil and add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, apple, ginger and garlic and season with salt and pepper and the curry powder. Cook to soften, 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour and stir for 1 minute more. Ladle in about 3 cups of reserved stock and stir in the chutney to sweeten. Reduce the heat to simmer.
Remove the chicken from carcass and remove the skin. Pull the chicken into bite-size pieces or dice. Add to the curry gravy and vegetables. Add a little more stock if the curry gravy gets too thick for your liking.
Roll the pastry dough out on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry dough into the shapes of the bowls you will serve from. Wash the dough with the egg beaten with a splash of water, then bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until golden and puffed and crisp on the bottom, about 12-15 minutes.
Fill the dinner bowls with curry and top with the puffed baked pastry. Serve.