I am going to use the pre-baked puff pastry idea myself in the future. Here is a to-die-for recipe for chicken potpie from Ina Garten. When I made it, I just used a "red box" pie crust (I'm so NOT a baker). I baked the filling as a whole double-crusted pie. Even though I used a deep dish pie plate, I had filling leftover. I froze that. Can't remember if I've used it yet or not - I'll have to go look lol! Ingredients: 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 chicken bouillon cubes 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions) 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups) 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves For the pastry: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. seagrass

Thanks everyone. I'm still eating it.... I would call this a success, but I did learn some things for next time. At least use onion powder if I don't have an onion, and be a little more generous with the salt. I'm adding both of those each serving now, and it really helps. I'm glad other people wondered what coarse meal looks like, that made me smile :o) Sewhappy, thanks for the suggestion.... Plastic wrap is not my friend, and I think for me at least using it in that manner would be harder than cleaning the worktop surface of the portable dishwasher. I scraped the dough off with a plastic pan scraper, and then just brushed the loose stuff into the trash... so much easier than trying to wash with a sponge and getting a gluey mess everywhere! Duane, I agree. I have made things before (think pumpkin stuffed ravioli) that were not worth the effort to cook them, nor the clean up process. When I make something big, it is because I want to, I never force myself to.... sometimes I am very glad I did, and other times, even halfway through the process, I mutter, "why oh why" or "never again!" I hate finishing a project and thinking "Man, I should have bought that, it would have tasted better and saved me all this work!" Annie, you like every food, don't you? :o)

Here is my favourite, great made with the or . I vary the veggies using sweet potato turnip, green beans and peas and omitting the carrots. No reason why you couldn't make a double crust. I like to make individual pies. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Chicken Pot Pie With Herbed Crust ================================= Pie can be topped with herbed crust or with Puff pastry Dough 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1 inch pieces 1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening cut into bits 1/4 cup ice water Chicken filling 4 Large chicken breasts 5 Cups chicken broth 2 Teaspoons black peppercorns 2 bay leaves 4 springs fresh thyme 3 Large garlic cloves 2 Small carrots cut into 3/4 inch cubes 1 Small leek cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces (about 2 cups) 1 Large sweet potato 1 or 2 stalks of celery 2 or three large baking potatoes cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 1 Cup frozen peas Sauce 4 Tablespoons butter 5 Tablespoons all purpose flour 1 Cup heavy cream 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme salt and pepper . Use any combination of vegetables. I have added fresh green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the chicken in a soup pot with the broth, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and garlic. Bring to a boil over high head. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool. Remove meat from bones. Strain broth to remove peppercorns and herbs. Bring strained broth to a boil and add leeks, celery and carrot. Cook a couple of minutes and then add sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Remove vegetables from broth to a bowl with the chicken and set aside. Make sauce, by melting butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and then cooking stirring frequently with a whisk, until the mixture develops a nutty smell, about 2 minutes. Slowly add half the broth to the roux, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the rest of the broth along with the cream and chopped thyme. Increase the heat to moderate and allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is well steeped with the flavour of thyme. Remove the pan from the head. Add the vegetables and chicken to the sauce. Add frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon filling into the pan. Cover with pastry, trucking in edge to seal to side of pan. Reroll the dough trimmings and cut out several leaf shapes to decorate. Make small incisions in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake in a 375 degree oven until crust in golden brown, for about 50 minutes.

I found two different recipes: one has a pastry topping and the other has a biscuit topping. Which one were you looking for? Skillet Chicken Pot Pie 1/2006 Substitute 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts for the whole chicken, if desired. We recommend chilling the rolled and shaped dough in the freezer. The dough can be prepared the day before and refrigerated. The chicken and vegetables can also be prepared the day before. Serves 6 to 8 Dough 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 1/4 ounces), plus additional for work surface 3/4 teaspoon table salt 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and frozen for 10 minutes 2 tablespoons sour cream 4 - 6 tablespoons ice water Chicken and Vegetables 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 whole chicken (about 4 1/2 pounds), cut into 4 pieces (2 breast pieces, 2 leg quarters, wings discarded) and trimmed of excess fat 24 frozen pearl onions , thawed, drained, and patted dry, about 1 cup, or 5 ounces, (to prepare fresh, see instructions below) 1 medium onion , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup) 4 medium carrots , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups) 3 medium ribs celery , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup) Table salt and ground black pepper Sauce 4 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 3/4 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup frozen peas (unthawed, about 3 1/2 ounces) 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves Table salt and ground black pepper 1. TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Process flour and salt together in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until size of large peas, about six to eight 1-second pulses. 2. Mix sour cream and 4 tablespoons ice water in small bowl until combined. Add half of sour cream mixture to flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons water and process until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, three to five 1-second pulses. 3. Turn dough onto work surface. Shape into ball and flatten to 5-inch disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1 to 2 hours. (Dough can be refrigerated overnight.) 4. TO ROAST CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES: Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions; heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until oil just begins to smoke; swirl skillet to coat evenly with oil. Brown chicken pieces skin side down until deep golden, 3 to 4 minutes; turn chicken pieces and brown until golden on second side, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate; drain all but 1 tablespoon fat. 5. Set skillet over medium heat. Add pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add onion, carrots, celery, and salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Return chicken pieces to skillet skin side up and place in oven on lower-middle rack. Roast until thickest part of breast registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and thickest part of thigh and drumstick registers about 175 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes. Using potholder or oven mitt, remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest 1 hour. Set skillet with vegetables aside. 6. TO ROLL OUT THE DOUGH: (If dough has been chilled longer than 2 hours, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.) Dust 16 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper liberally with flour; roll, flute, and cut vent holes according to illustrations above. Transfer parchment and dough to baking sheet; chill in freezer until ready to use, at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate for 1 hour). 7. TO MAKE SAUCE AND ASSEMBLE PIE: While chicken rests, return skillet with vegetables to medium-high heat. Add chicken broth and any juices from chicken platter and bring to simmer, scraping sides and bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Pour contents of skillet through medium-mesh strainer set over large bowl; transfer vegetables from strainer to separate bowl and refrigerate. After fat rises to surface of broth, 15 to 20 minutes, skim with ladle or large spoon and discard. (You should have about 3 1/2 cups broth.) 8. When chicken has rested, remove and discard skin. Using fingers or fork, pull chicken off bones into 2-inch shreds and 1-inch chunks; refrigerate until ready to use (you should have about 4 1/2 cups chicken). Wipe skillet clean; melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture darkens slightly and becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and coats back of spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, add chicken, reserved vegetables, peas, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste; gently stir to combine. Remove dough from freezer, lift off parchment paper, and place dough on top of filling. Bake on upper-middle rack at 450 degrees until crust begins to brown around edges, about 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping 10/2006 If you dont have time to make your own biscuits for the topping, then use packaged refrigerated biscuits and bake them according to the package instructions. We prefer the flavor of Pillsbury Golden Homestyle Biscuits but you can use your favorite brand (you will need anywhere from 4 to 8 biscuits depending on their size). Serve this pot pie right from the skillet, or transfer the mixture to a large pie plate and top with the biscuits. Serves 4 Biscuits 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus extra for the work surface 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1 1/2 cups heavy cream Filling 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts Table salt and ground black pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion , minced (about 1 cup) 1 rib celery , sliced thin 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves 2 cups frozen peas and carrots , thawed 1. For the biscuits: Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. 2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds. 3. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or cut into 8 wedges using a knife. 4. Place the biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack. 5. For the filling: While the biscuits bake, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides. Brown the chicken lightly on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate. 6. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and return to medium heat until melted. Add the onion, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute. 7. Stir in the vermouth and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the broth, cream, and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. 8. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir the peas and carrots into the sauce and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut or shred it into bite-sized pieces and return it to the skillet. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste. 9. For serving: Place the cooked biscuits on top of the skillet or individual servings.