Place chicken thighs in a 9 x 13 lightly oiled baking dish; season chicken lightly with salt and pepper; cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF
2½-3 lbs. chicken thighs
Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, add oil and 1/2 stick of butter; add onion, celery and carrots; cook 5 minutes until tender
1 tablespoon oil, 1 stick butter, 1 cup onion, 3 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery
Once vegetables are tender, add remaining 1/2 stick of butter
1 stick butter
Sprinkle flour over butter/vegetable mixture one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly; cook for 5 minutes
4 tablespoons flour
Add milk and continue to stir
1 cup milk
Add chicken broth, frozen peas and bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth, 1½ cups peas, 2 bay leaves
Allow to cook on medium low heat, covered while you shred the chicken
Add shredded chicken to the soup; allow to cook on medium low for 20 minutes; taste for salt and pepper; remove bay leaves and serve with puff pastry
2½-3 lbs. chicken thighs, salt and pepper to taste
Make the Puff Pastry
Roll out pastry sheets onto lightly oiled baking pan
1 pkg. puff pastry
Cut into quarters
Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash to pastry dough
1 whole egg, 1 tablespoon water
Place in oven and bake at 400ºF for 12-15 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown
Remove from oven and serve with soup
Notes
No time to bake chicken?Use a rotisserie or deli chicken in this recipe!For best results, don't let the puff pastry sit out too long at room temperature. Puff pastry does best when it is slightly cold and baked in a hot oven (about 375-400ºF)Want it thicker? Create a slurry - In a one-cup measuring cup, add 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour; fill cup with water; stir then drizzle into warm soupPuff PastryPastry dough should be slightly cold when it goes into the hot oven or it won't "puff"