Individual Chicken Pot Pies

It has been so cold in Southern California lately that we've been trying to use the oven as often as possible to keep our tiny apartment warm. And when it's this cold outside, Matthew and I crave comfort foods and these chicken pot pies are probably the ultimate comfort food, next to fried chicken. I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe, but I didn't make my dough from scratch, and I used frozen veggies instead of fresh.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 big individual pies or 4 small ones)

• 1 whole (2 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock, low sodium
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 1 bag (16oz) frozen stew vegetables (contains carrots, celery, potatoes and pearl onions)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• Frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
• 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 2 to 4 cups of cubed chicken. You can save time and use a rotisserie chicken instead!

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 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, the frozen stew vegetables and and parsley. Mix well. Remove from heat.

Keep the oven at 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 2 or 4 ovenproof bowls.

Cut the pastry sheets into 4 pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, and 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 35 - 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.