Hey everybody! Long time no talk! I've missed you all, but I've been beyond consumed with school. I seem to be getting into more of a set schedule now, though, so I can start to figure out times to write these posts. Anyways, today's post is on a dish I just kind of put together one day when I was trying to think of good freezer meals besides soups...I thought these chicken pockets were a good option.
First, you want to start out by cooking a chicken. You can buy the pre-cooked roasted ones if you'd like. However, I was making a few dishes with chicken on this same day so I just got a full chicken and broke it up as I needed it for each day.
It should look something like this when you're done cooking it. Remember to keep basting it as you are cooking it in order to ensure that it stays moist and develops a golden brown color on the outside.
While your chicken is in the oven, start sauteing your carrots, onion and celery. This will be used as the filling for the pockets.
Once your chickens cooked, shred it up and add it to the celery, onion, and carrot mixture. Cook this on low heat for about 5 minutes so that the flavors can meld together a little bit.
Lay out a piece of puff pastry, and scoop about a cup, to a cup and a half of the chicken and vegetable mixture on one side of the puff pastry, and fold it in half.
Then, you want to make an egg wash by mixing together some egg yolks and milk. Brush this on top of the pockets and bake at 350 degrees until the puff pastry is cooked, and the inside is heated thoroughly.
They should look something like the above when they're done.
Now, you want to take the drippings from the chicken, and put it in a small saucepan. Heat until it starts to simmer.
Mix together about a tablespoon of flour, a tablespoon of cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of colder water. This will be our thickening agent since you don't want the gravy to be too thick.
Once the drippings start to simmer, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and keep whisking until it starts to thicken. It should take about five to ten minutes for it to really come together.
Once you are done, it should look something like the picture above. You can serve these with mashed potatoes, or rice, or serve them alone. I definitely recommend trying out this recipe, and if you do, let me know how you liked it in the comments below! :)
Until next time,
K
