Yields Serves 10 Total Time 3 hrs 45 mins
AuthorElaine Johnson

We made good old chicken pot pie Halloween party-worthy by loading up the filling with fresh vegetables and herbs, and decorating the top with bones and skulls cut from puff pastry. You’ll need special cookie cutters; or you can create your own skull and bones from cardboard and cut around them on the pastry with a knife. For the best “puff,” keep the pastry cold as you work.

How to Make It

Step 1
1

In a large pot, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Cover and bring to simmering; then reduce heat and cook until carrots are tender to bite, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving broth, and set vegetables aside.

Step 2
2

Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, celery, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and salt. Sauté until vegetables are soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour and cook, stirring, until light golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk until blended, then add reserved broth and whisk until no lumps remain. Cook, whisking, until simmering, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 3
3

Remove sauce from heat and stir in reserved vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking dish about 9 by 13 in. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Step 4
4

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 pastry sheet into a rectangle 1 in. longer and wider than baking dish. With a small knife, score a 1/2-in. border on all sides of pastry without cutting through it. Slide pastry onto a baking sheet and chill. Re-flour work surface and roll second pastry sheet to a 10- by 12-in. rectangle. Cut out 3 skulls, using a 5- by 3 1/2-in. skull-shaped cookie cutter.* Cut 4 each of large and medium bones, using 4- by 1 1/2-in. and 3 1/2- by 1 1/2-in. bone-shaped cookie cutters. Using a knife tip, score faces in skulls without cutting through pastry. Transfer skulls and bones to a baking sheet and chill until cold.

Step 5
5

Set chilled pastry rectangle onto cool chicken mixture, gently pushing it along score lines into edges of dish. Brush with egg. Arrange large bones on pastry and brush with egg; then arrange skulls and medium bones on top, overlapping a bit if needed, and brush with egg.

Step 6
6

Bake until pastry is well browned, about 40 minutes; if filling starts to bubble over, put a baking sheet on lower rack under pot pie.

Step 7
7

*We used a skull cookie cutter and dog-bone cookie cutter set from CopperGifts.com.

Step 8
8

Make ahead: Through step 4, up to 1 day, filling and pastry chilled separately airtight. To continue with step 5, bring filling to room temperature, 2 hours.

Ingredients

 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
 1 pound red thin-skinned potatoes (1 1/2 in. wide), sliced crosswise 1/3 in. thick
 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally 1/4 in. thick
 3/4 pound green beans, cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces
 5 tablespoons salted butter
 1 medium onion, chopped
 1 cup chopped mushrooms
 1 large stalk celery, chopped
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
 1 teaspoon pepper
 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
 2/3 cup flour
 1 cup milk
 5 cups bite-size pieces skinned cooked chicken
 1 package (17.3 oz.) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed but cold
 1 large egg, beaten to blend

Directions

Step 1
1

In a large pot, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Cover and bring to simmering; then reduce heat and cook until carrots are tender to bite, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving broth, and set vegetables aside.

Step 2
2

Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, celery, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and salt. Sauté until vegetables are soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour and cook, stirring, until light golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk until blended, then add reserved broth and whisk until no lumps remain. Cook, whisking, until simmering, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 3
3

Remove sauce from heat and stir in reserved vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking dish about 9 by 13 in. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Step 4
4

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 pastry sheet into a rectangle 1 in. longer and wider than baking dish. With a small knife, score a 1/2-in. border on all sides of pastry without cutting through it. Slide pastry onto a baking sheet and chill. Re-flour work surface and roll second pastry sheet to a 10- by 12-in. rectangle. Cut out 3 skulls, using a 5- by 3 1/2-in. skull-shaped cookie cutter.* Cut 4 each of large and medium bones, using 4- by 1 1/2-in. and 3 1/2- by 1 1/2-in. bone-shaped cookie cutters. Using a knife tip, score faces in skulls without cutting through pastry. Transfer skulls and bones to a baking sheet and chill until cold.

Step 5
5

Set chilled pastry rectangle onto cool chicken mixture, gently pushing it along score lines into edges of dish. Brush with egg. Arrange large bones on pastry and brush with egg; then arrange skulls and medium bones on top, overlapping a bit if needed, and brush with egg.

Step 6
6

Bake until pastry is well browned, about 40 minutes; if filling starts to bubble over, put a baking sheet on lower rack under pot pie.

Step 7
7

*We used a skull cookie cutter and dog-bone cookie cutter set from CopperGifts.com.

Step 8
8

Make ahead: Through step 4, up to 1 day, filling and pastry chilled separately airtight. To continue with step 5, bring filling to room temperature, 2 hours.

Boneyard Chicken Pot Pie

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