Main dish
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe with Flaky Pastry
Intermediateshared by Nibblore Kitchen
This comforting chicken pot pie pairs tender chicken and vegetables with a savory, herb-flecked cream sauce beneath crisp, flaky puff pastry. Briefly chilling the filling before assembly keeps the butter-rich topping from melting prematurely, helping it rise evenly. It is an ideal make-ahead dinner for a cool evening. • Keep the puff pastry refrigerated until the filling has cooled; warm pastry loses definition and rises less evenly. • The sauce should be slightly thicker than gravy before baking because the vegetables and chicken release additional moisture in the oven. • Place the baking dish on a preheated sheet pan to strengthen browning on the pastry's underside and catch any drips. • Replace chicken thighs with an equal weight of boneless, skinless chicken breast; brown it for only 2 to 3 minutes per batch to prevent overcooking. • Use 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken in place of raw chicken; stir it in with the peas and omit the initial browning step. • Replace whole milk with half-and-half for a richer sauce, using the same quantity. • Substitute an equal weight of button mushrooms for cremini mushrooms. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat portions uncovered in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F (74°C); microwaving softens the pastry. Freeze the cooled, baked filling without its pastry for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then top with fresh pastry and bake as directed until bubbling and hot throughout.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbboneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ¼ tspkosher salt, divided
- ½ tspground black pepper, divided
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 mediumyellow onion, diced
- 2 mediumcarrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 ozcremini mushrooms, quartered
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- ⅓ cupall-purpose flour
- 2 cuplow-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cupwhole milk
- 1 tspfresh thyme leaves
- ½ tspdried rubbed sage
- 1 cupfrozen peas, unthawed
- 1 tspfresh lemon juice
- 1 sheetfrozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed but cold
- 1 largeegg
- 1 tbspwater
Instructions
- 1Pat the chicken dry and season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two uncrowded batches, cooking each batch for 4 to 5 minutes and turning once; it need not be fully cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- 2Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the onion, carrots, mushrooms, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- 3Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth while scraping the bottom of the skillet and whisking to prevent lumps. Stir in the milk, thyme, sage, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- 4Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, then simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickly coats a spoon and the chicken reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove from the heat and stir in the frozen peas and lemon juice.
- 5Transfer the filling to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish approximately 9 inches square. Let it cool uncovered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven, place a rimmed baking sheet on it, and heat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- 6On a lightly floured surface, roll the cold puff pastry into an 11-inch square. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top edge of the baking dish lightly with egg wash, lay the pastry over the filling, and press it against the rim. Trim excessive overhang, leaving about 1 inch, then tuck that edge inward. Cut four 2-inch vents in the center and brush the pastry with egg wash.
- 7Set the dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 28 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, fully puffed, and the filling bubbles through the vents. If the pastry browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil during the final 10 minutes.
- 8Rest the pie for 15 minutes before serving so the filling can thicken and the pastry remains crisp when portioned.