RECIPE: Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Peas, Garlic Scapes, and Capers

Garlic scapes will be in the farm store soon!  I chop them and freeze them to use all year long.  For this recipe, I also used frozen leeks and celery.

This recipe originated in Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2025.  The photo looked so good I made it the day the book arrived!  I made it as written, and thought it was bland, so I tweaked it.  My husband liked it so much he had three (3!) servings, and then ate it every day for a week.  

This is a cookbook recipe, so there's no original to link to. I tried to find a link to the book, because it's filled with many recipes that I can't wait to try, but I couldn't find it for sale anywhere!  My husband's credit card company sends it to us every year, and every year he says he's going to cancel it, but knowing now how hard the books are to find, we aren't going to cancel the subscription! 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie 

with Peas, Garlic Scapes, and Capers

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 14" x 10" sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (I used Dufour - see NOTE at bottom)
• 2 large egg yolks, beaten with 1 T. water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups of garlic scapes, sliced 1/4" pieces (I used frozen)
  
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup)
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 c. flour (I used sprouted oat flour)
• 2 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 4 cups cooked chicken (I used home-canned) 
• 2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (I used frozen)
• 1/4 cup capers (I used salt cured*.  If you use capers in brine, rinse them first)
• 2 T. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Unfold puff pastry sheet and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Lightly score a 1/8" deep crosshatch pattern into pastry using a paring knife, spacing rows about 3/4" apart.  Brush evenly with beaten egg.  Bake in preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating pan after 15 minutes. Let pastry cool on pan until ready to top pot pie.  Do not turn oven off.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high,  Add leeks, onion, garlic scapes, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly , until a film starts to form on bottom of skillet, 1-2 minutes. Gradually stir in bone broth.  Bring to a simmer over medium and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 6 minutes.  Stir in cream, chicken, peas, parsley, and capers*.  Taste and adjust salt (I didn't need to add any).  Add coarsely ground pepper to taste - we like this SPICY, but you may prefer less.  Keep warm on low heat until pastry is cooked.

Transfer the filling to a 11" x 15" baking pan.  Place the cooked puff pastry over filling.  Bake at 400F until filling is hot and bubbling, 5-8 minutes.

Let pie cool 5 minutes before serving. 

*The capers I use are cured in Italian sea salt, and I'm loath to throw that out, so I never rinse them before using, I just reduce the salt in the recipe.  If you use capers in brine, you should rinse them first and add salt to taste.

NOTE: My baking pan is exactly the right size for the Dufour puff pastry sheet.  If your pan is smaller, or you use a different brand of puff pastry, cut the sheet 1/2" smaller than your pan before you bake it, and use the extra for something else. 

  

This is what the book looks like.  You can see how many recipes I've flagged!

RECIPE: Carrots with Vadouvan Spice and Yogurt

I saved this recipe 10 years ago - in 2015 - but I've just recently sourced the Vadouvan, from Curio Spice.  The carrots we're using now were harvested last September, and they're full size, so I should have known to cook them longer than recommended.  Except for that, the flavor was delicious, and I will definitely be making them again!  

There's an interesting write-up on the history of the Vadouvan blend here.

I'm looking for a recipe to mix my own and will add it once I find one I like.

Original recipe: Tandoori Carrots with Vadouvan Spice and Yogurt

Carrots with Vadouvan Spice and Yogurt

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 T. Vadouvan
• 2 garlic cloves grated, divided
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 5 T. olive oil, divided
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, tops trimmed, scrubbed
• 1/4 t. ground turmeric
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• Very coarsely chopped cilantro leaves 
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F.  I used our toaster oven.  

If your carrots are large, like mine were, peel them and cut into sticks about the size of small young carrots.  Mix vadouvan with half the garlic, 1/4 cup yogurt and 3 T. oil until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add carrots and toss to coat.  Roast on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred in spots, 20-25 minutes.  

Meanwhile, heat turmeric in 2 T remaining oil in a small skillet over medium-low, swirling skillet, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Whisk lemon juice, remaining garlic, and remaining yogurt in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place carrots along with crunchy bits on baking sheet onto a platter.  Drizzle with yogurt mixture, turmeric oil, and top with cilantro.  

I served this, without the cilantro, as a side for chicken meuniere, and it was delicious.