First I’d like to start by saying that anything having a pie crust screams comfort food. Using a Chili Lime Rub to season the chicken for this dish and then adding ingredients to mirror those flavors will take this pot pie to a whole new level.
I decided on a variety of peppers, tomatoes, black beans, pineapple, and shoepeg corn. This is my Chili-Lime Chicken Pot Pie. Let’s grab some fresh Cilantro from my Organic Hanging Herb Garden outside.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 58 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Yields: 2 pies (6 slices per pie)
Equipment: chef’s knife, 1 (12-inch) cast-iron skillet, meat-safe cutting board, large mixing bowl, 2 (9-inch) glass pie plates, 2 rimmed baking sheet pans
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of butter, unsalted, divided
4 tablespoons of olive oil (2 tablespoons for searing the chicken)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces of Chili-Lime Rub
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 Fresno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup of sliced green onions, reserve the tops
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
1 (15-ounce) can of fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
1 (15-ounce) can of black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups of frozen shoepeg (baby white corn kernels) corn, thawed
1 (8-ounce) can of pineapple chunks, drained, reserve the juice
1 lime, juiced
1 box (2 sheets) of Puff pastry
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
*egg wash
Note: Transfer the Puff Pastry the night before to the refrigerator.
Directions:
On a plastic meat-safe board layout all the chicken breasts. Start by using paper towels to pat dry both sides of all the chicken. Using the full 2 ounces of Chili Lime seasoning, evenly coat both sides of all the chicken breasts. Transfer to a large platter. Set aside.
In a preheated cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter; swirl to coat. Add 3 chicken breasts, round side down; cook for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over; reduce the heat to medium, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer the seared chicken to a large platter. Set aside. Repeat the process for the remaining 3 chicken breasts.
Dice up the chicken into 2-inch bite-size chunks. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Remaining on medium-high heat and in the same skillet add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the diced onion, sliced green onions, minced Fresno chili, tomato paste, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Cook the onions, using a wooden spoon scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan, until they are soft and golden in color, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the diced bell peppers and minced garlic. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the peppers soften and become brown around the edges, another 5 minutes.
At this point, sprinkle in 1/4 cup of flour. Stirring frequently, cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until all the raw flour disappears.
Adjust the heat to medium-low, add the diced chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, and corn, stir to combine. Simmer for 45 to 50 minutes until chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Finally, add the pineapple, black beans along with the green onion tops gently stir to combine. Stirring occasionally, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Divide evenly, between the two glass pie dishes. Allow the filling cool for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.
You want to roll out the Puff Pastry while it’s still cold. Dust your board with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so it’s smooth, with no creases, and is 1-inch larger around than the pie dish you’re going to cover. Roll the pastry up around the rolling pin and unravel the dough over the pie plate.
Tuck under the dough all around the edges. It doesn’t have to look perfect, you want it to look homemade. Score the top (using a paring knife to make long slits but not all the way through) in a criss-cross pattern and brush with an *egg wash.
Place each pie onto a rimmed baking sheet pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Rotate the pies halfway through, so they brown evenly.
Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese and finely chopped fresh cilantro to the top for garnish. Allow the pies to rest for about 20 minutes so the filling sets before slicing.
There you have it, my Chili-Lime Chicken Pot Pie.
*Egg wash: A mixture of beaten eggs and milk or water brushed over pastry or dough before baking in order to give an attractive color and shine to the surface.
https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/
