Kale is our new favorite vegetable and chicken pot pie an old favorite so last night the two went together in this rather stellar pie.
As you can see by the number of pot pie versions on this site (see Pastry-Savory in the Index for examples), it is hard to go wrong with pastry, chicken and gravy never mind it's a super way to stretch leftover and/or rotisserie bird you picked up on a whim from your local grocery store.
In our case, I simply roasted a slew of chicken drumsticks in a hot oven just because we like to have 'em around as something to knaw on for lunch and combined with pearl onions, lots of garlic, lovely crunchy kale that kinda' stays that way and cubes of butternut squash, this one skillet pie adpated from epicurious.com goes together in a flash. It is a soul satisfying flavor filled ode to autumn.
I have nothing more to say except make the darned thing and you'll see what I mean. Talk about a soft sell, huh!
I pretty much followed the recipe as given, except I had to add more herbs to the mix because I can't make anything that doesn't have at least 3 in it (garlic doesn't count). In addition, I added more flour to the mix to thicken the gravy but even 1/3 of a cup wasn't enough, so I've amended the recipe to show 1/2 a cup. Just be sure to cook it for a minute or two with the kale, etc. before adding liquid to get the most thickening power out of it.
Skillet Pot Pie with Butternut Squash and Kale from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from epicurious.com
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and coarse ground black pepper
1 small bunch kale, center ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into half inch cubes (about 2 cups)
5 chicken roasted chicken drumsticks, skin and bones removed, torn into pieces (about 2 cups)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Preheat oven to 425. In a 9 inch cast iron pan, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are browned. Reduce heat to low – add garlic, and sage and cook for another minute. Add rosemary, poultry season and kale. Season well with salt and pepper and cook, tossing often until kale is wilted. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, and then add squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is just tender but still has a little bite to it. Remove from heat and add chicken. Cool briefly.
Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured board and roll out to fit top of skillet. Leaving corners intact, score pastry in 3 or 4 places to allow heat to escape and brush lightly with egg wash. Arrange pastry over top of skillet allowing corners to droop over sides. Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry starts to brown, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for another 20 minutes or until pastry is cooked and filling bubbling. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
A year ago - Hard Polenta Cakes with Bolognese
Two year's ago - Beer Braised Turkey Thighs with an Island Twist
Three year's ago - Hanger Steak with Mushroom Madeira Gravy
Ahhhh - chicken pot pie - love and goodness in one delicious package!
Posted by: Lea M. Callais | 09/07/2013 at 03:11 PM
...and no tomatoes to be seen Lea. Darned tasty with kale and squash too - a first for us.
Posted by: June | 09/08/2013 at 09:10 AM
That is on hell of a good looking pot pie. More comfort food...you are rocking the coast for sure. Have you tried kale chips?
Posted by: Lorraine | 09/14/2013 at 07:18 PM
Thanks Lorraine. We sure as heck love our pot pies. We haven't tried kale chips yet but they're on the list.
Posted by: June | 09/15/2013 at 12:48 PM