New Meal Monday: Sweet Potato Chicken Pot Pie

There are millions of recipes out there and you never know when you will stumble across a keeper. I discovered this recipe while thumbing through a magazine seeking images for a collage I was working on at work. The image caught my eye, and the recipe sounded so good I tore out the page, brought it home and we made it that night. We have since made it several times, and it is a wonderful fall/winter dish. The sweet potatoes give a tasty twist to traditional pot pie, and the rotisserie chicken provides a great flavor and the chicken stays tender and juicy! The recipe gives the option of serving the dish in a large pie plate or individual ramekins. We have made it both ways, and although the taste is the same, we much prefer the presentation of the ramekins, especially if serving guests. We served it with a light mixed green salad on the side, but the dish is certainly filling enough on its own!

Here is what you’ll need:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more to coat the dish)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 2-2.5 lb rotisserie chicken
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 2 large egg beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
  
  Here’s how you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil 9-inch pie plate or 4 12-oz ramekins (We found that the recipe fit better in 6 ramekins)
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, then salt and pepper and cook covered for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3. While potatoes and onions are cooking, shred the chicken, discarding the bones and skin, and set chicken aside.
4. Sprinkle flour over potatoes and onions, stirring for about 1 minute. Gradually stir in wine and then broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, peas, parsley, nutmeg and tarragon (if using – we omitted this ingredient).
5. Mix all together and then divide into ramekins evenly, or fill pie-plate. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut the puff pastry into circles to then place on top of each ramekin. If using pie-plate, simply place sheet over pie plate and cut off any excess. *Since we used 6 ramekins, we needed more puff pastry and used about 1 and half sheets.
6. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush each pastry with the egg and use a sharp knife to cut 3 slices. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
   *The recipes says it serves 4, yet we have always felt we have gotten 6 servings out of it easily! Also, if you would love to make ahead, you can make the filling and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Just bring it back to room temperature before filling the ramekins.