Chicken Pot Pie with Apples and Leeks

For the poached chicken*:

• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots and leafy tops, coarsely chopped
• 2 to 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, coarsely chopped
• 1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally
• 2 bay leaves
• Herb bundle of parsley, sage, thyme
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• Salt
• 1 3- to 4-pound chicken

For the Pot Pies:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large ribs celery, chopped
• 2 Honeycrisp or Gala apples, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• A little freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup Calvados or apple brandy
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups poaching liquid (if poaching chicken) or store-bought chicken stock*
• 1/2 cup cream
• DuFour or other prepared pastry dough, defrosted 2 hours in refrigerator
• 1 egg beaten with a splash of water

• If you’re running short on time, use meat pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and store-bought stock.

Place ingredients for poaching chicken in a pot and add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 1 hour, turning occasionally. Cool chicken in stock then remove chicken to platter. Discard skin and bones, and pull meat into bite-size pieces.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add leeks, onions, celery and apples, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir 7-8 minutes until softened. Stir in flour, cook a minute or 2 then stir in Calvados and wine. Let reduce 1 minute then add poaching liquid or stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to low, add cream and thicken. Add chicken and keep warm.

Roll out puff pastry a bit on a floured surface and cut out circles the size of the bowls you wish to serve from. Lightly brush the pastry with egg wash and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden.

Serve the chicken filling in bowls topped with the baked puffed pastry rounds.