Easiest Chicken Pot Pie

I've been sick with pneumonia for the past week or so, and my baking/cooking has been pretty much non-existent. But, here's a recipe I made a while back that's perfect for a night when you're not feeling so well and don't have the energy to cook a huge dinner.

This recipe from Bon Appetit is sort of a fancied-up Sandra Lee-style recipe...while it uses good ingredients, it definitely takes a lot of short cuts. It's a great recipe for a weeknight when you want something filling but don't have a lot of time to make dinner. The results are impressive for all the shortcuts...probably not as good as if everything was homemade, but pretty darn tasty for semi-homemade! Good chicken flavor, not too heavy, and a good ratio of crust to filling.

Easiest Chicken Pot Pie (Adapted from Bon Appetit, original recipe here)

5 slices thick bacon
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
16-20 oz. frozen mixed vegetables (I used an organic frozen veggie mix including corn, carrots, peas, and green beans)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Coarsely shredded chicken from 1 small purchased roasted chicken
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

Preheat oven to 450F. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Chop/break into bite sized pieces. Add onion to drippings in skillet; sauté until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the vegetables; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until some liquid is reduced, about 4-8 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup crème fraîche, chicken, and bacon. Bring to simmer. Season with pepper. Divide among four 2-cup soufflé dishes or use one larger casserole dish.

Unfold puff pastry onto work surface; roll out to 12-inch square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Top filling in soufflé dishes with pastry; fold edges down onto rims of dish. (Or, just roll the pastry out to the size of your casserole dish.) Brush top of crusts (not edges) with remaining 1 tablespoon crème fraîche. Cut small X in center of crusts; pierce all over with fork. Bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is heated through, about 22 minutes.