Christmas Countdown Day 7: 7 Swans a Swimming

I was really looking forward to Christmas Countdown Day 7 because it would finally be my last day of poultry/fowl/bird gifts! Granted, my original plan had been to make a simple vanilla creme brulee and place chocolate swans atop the creme brulee, but then I realized I could just make a chicken pot pie (chicken "swimming" in the creamy pot pie mixture!). When I invited friends over to partake in day 7 of this countdown, most people thought the dish was inspired by "11 pipers piping" and felt that I was really stretching it for swans a swimming...but in my head it works perfectly, so chicken pot pie it is!

I took a lot of shortcuts with this recipe and went for frozen prepared pie crusts and puff pastry sheets. Normally, I also use rotisserie chicken for my pot pies, but for this batch, I went for plain old chicken thighs! But if you have the chance to use rotisserie chicken, I highly recommend you go that route - it's delicious!

I began the process by sauteeing diced onions in melted butter then tossing in my cubes of chicken thighs (I am very partial to dark meat). Once the chicken was sufficiently cooked, I tossed in my cubes of potatoes, carrots, celery, and sliced mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes. I then added in stock (I used duck stock, which I had prepared a while back from my Turducken) and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and chicken bouillon powder. I then let this all stew for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat.

While the filling was stewing, I preheated the oven to 425 F and prepped my deep dish pie crusts and puff pastry sheets. I had defrosted the puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator overnight and let the pie crust defrost on the counter for about 10 minutes. I unrolled my puff pastry sheets (which was actually a rather difficult task - if you over-defrost the puff pastry, it gets really sticky) and pricked holes on the bottom of my pie crusts. 

After letting the vegetables cook and soften for 15 minutes, I added in ~1/3 cup flour, ~3/4 cup milk...and then additional stock (as needed) to reach a desired consistency. Mix well until the filling thickens and then remove from heat and pour into the pie crusts. At the very last minute, I second guessed myself and added more stock because I was afraid the filling was too thick and would somehow dry out while baking...but that was a mistake - oh well! Just know that if your filling is too runny, a) it's still edible and b) if you refrigerate, the filling will set nicely in the fridge and will be less runny the next day. 

Once the filling was all poured in, I placed a single puff pastry sheet on top of the pie and sealed the pot pie shut! I also poked little slits in the top of the puff pastry to let steam escape from the pie while baking.

I folded up the edges of my puff pastry (instead of cutting the excess pastry off) because...well I like puff pastry! I placed the pies on a baking sheet to allow for easy removal from the oven and popped the pies into the oven for 30 minutes (or until the puff pastry is golden brown). Enjoy!