Chicken Guinness Pot Pie

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Put the three chicken breasts on a sheet pan and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the juices run clear. (When done, remove the chicken from the oven and leave the oven at 375 F.)

Let the chicken cool and then remove the skin and bones, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces and set chicken aside with any juices that have collected on the pan. (You can discard the skin and bones.)

Remove the puff pastry from the freezer, and set it out to thaw while you make the pot pie filling.

Using the 1 tablespoon of butter, grease a 9×13” baking dish. Set the dish aside.

In a large heavy pot, melt the ¼ cup butter over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with a little Kosher salt and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft.

Into the butter and onions, add the carrots, celery, potatoes, peas and pearl onions. Sweat for a few minutes until they start to soften.

Add the chicken pieces to the vegetables. Add the Guinness and let the vegetables and beer sweat for about 5 minutes, until everything is hot and tender.

Add the ¼ cup of flour and stir it into the vegetables. It should absorb some of the beer and butter and will help to thicken the sauce. Cook for about 3-5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Add the 2 cups of chicken stock, the cream and the fresh thyme leaves. Stir the filling and let it simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and then pour the filling into the prepared baking dish.

Take the two puff pastry sheets and lay them side by side (overlapping where they meet) on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll them together so you have a long rectangle. (For the smaller pot pies, just use 1 sheet for each pie.)

Using the puff pastry sheets, make a tent over the filling, simply pinching the puff pastry to the edges of the dish to hold it in place. Cut off any extra dough that hangs too far over the sides. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F and allow it to preheat.

Put the egg into a small bowl and beat it with 1 teaspoon of water.

Lightly brush the egg wash over the puff pastry so that it will have a nice sheen to it when it is baked. Slice some steam holes in the top of the pie crust.

Carefully put the pot pie into the oven and bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes, or until the insides are bubbling and the puff pastry is golden brown.

Serve hot and enjoy!