I came up with this when my fiancee and I found some brie in our fridge. It didn’t appear to be spoiled, but we couldn’t remember how old it was and didn’t relish the idea of eating it raw, so we decided to bake it instead. While his favorite party dish is brie wrapped in pastry dough with cranberries and pecans, I wanted to try something new. I also really wanted to try out my new Staub baking dish, and so a new chicken potpie was born.
This recipe comes together in 10 minutes thanks to precooked chicken and only requires another 30 minutes in the oven. The apples add a mild sweetness, the crust has a great crunch, and the brie provides a gooey, decadent surprise. Enjoy and happy baking!
Chicken Potpie with Apples and Brie 8 to 10 servings
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 large crisp apple, peeled, cored and diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. flour
¾ cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
8 oz. brie, sliced
1 box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In large skillet over medium heat, saute the shallots in the butter until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the apple, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and saute 3 to 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle the apples with the flour and stir to coat the mixture. Add the stock and reduce the heat to low. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let the mixture simmer 1 to 2 minutes until just thickened. Remove from the heat.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie dish. Cover the top with the slices of brie, then cover with the puff pastry sheets and trim the edges. Brush the top with egg yolk, then poke a hole in the center of the crust to vent.
• Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake another 15 minutes until the puff pastry is browned and bubbling at the edges. Let cool 5 minutes, then serve.
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2015.
