Herb Crust Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients

For the Pate Brisee Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 -1/2 cup ice cold water
• Fresh whole herbs (dill, sage, rosemary)
• 1 Large egg, lightly beaten

For the chicken and stock

• 4 lb whole chicken, thawed with giblets removed and patted dry with a paper towel
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 large white onion, peeled & quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 3″ pieces

For the Filling

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 12 pearl onions, peeled and if large cut in half
• 1 leek, sliced white parts only
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 6 oz white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 cobs of corn, kernels sliced off
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper

Directions

Crust

1. Make the crust dough by pulsing the flour and salt in a food processor. Add in the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add in the water, starting with 1/4 cup until the dough just starts to pull together� don�t add too much! Dump out onto your counter, divide into two discs and wrap in plastic. Store in the fridge for 1 hour (up to 3 days) or freeze for up to 3 months.

Stock and Chicken

1. In a large stock pot, put the chicken, stock, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, rosemary and celery. Add enough water to the pot to cover the chicken, cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and bring to a simmer, then simmer for one hour. Remove the chicken and allow it to cool slightly on a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut the meat off the bones. Use two forks to shred the meat and discard the bones. Pass the stock that�s left in the pot through a fine mesh sieve (you can line it with a cheesecloth to catch any tiny bits). Reserve 2 cups of this stock for this recipe and save the rest for another use.

To make the filling

1. Melt butter in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, then add in potatoes and onions. Cook for 5 minutes until the potatoes start to turn golden. Add in leek, carrots, mushrooms and corn. Cook for 5 minutes more until all the vegetables have softened. Stir in flour and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute more. Pour in the stock we reserved earlier and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubble, 2-3 minutes.
2. Pour the filling into a large mixing bowl and add the shredded chicken, parsley, sage and lemon zest. Mix well and taste, then season heavily with salt & pepper. Fill eight 4″ x 2″ ramekins almost full with the filling.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Roll out your dough to 1/4″ thick and arrange the fresh herbs on top. Press the herbs into the dough, and roll out to 1/8″ thick. Cut out 4.5″ fluted rounds, brush the edge of the ramekins with the beaten egg and lay them on top of each ramekin, pressing to seal. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Place on baking sheet and use a paring knife to cut 4 vent slits in the middle of the dough and then mix your leftover beaten egg with 1 tbsp water and brush that egg wash over each pie. Cook until golden brown and bubbling, 35-40 minutes.
5. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.