Creamy Chicken Pot Pie (Printable)
Flaky pastry lid over creamy chicken, peas, carrots and thyme-scented sauce — a comforting family meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meat & Protein
01 - 1.1 lb cooked chicken breast, diced (or turkey or rotisserie chicken)
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 1 medium onion, chopped
05 - 5.3 oz frozen peas
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Sauce
07 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 2.5 cups chicken broth
10 - 1/2 cup whole milk
11 - 1 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
→ Pastry
14 - 2 sheets puff pastry (or pie dough), thawed if frozen
→ Others
15 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
02 - In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
03 - Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to form a roux. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then milk, continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
04 - Add salt, pepper, thyme, cooked chicken, and peas. Stir to combine thoroughly. Remove from heat.
05 - Roll out one pastry sheet and line the bottom of a deep 9-inch pie dish or baking dish. Pour in the chicken and vegetable mixture evenly.
06 - Cover with the second pastry sheet. Trim excess dough and crimp edges to seal. Cut small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
07 - Brush the top crust evenly with beaten egg for a golden finish.
08 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
09 - Let rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The creamy filling tastes like something your grandmother would have made but comes together with surprisingly little fuss on a weeknight.
- That golden puffed crust cracking open to release clouds of savory steam will make everyone gathered in your kitchen go quiet for just a moment.
02 -
- If you rush the roux and do not cook the flour long enough the filling will taste faintly of raw dough, something I learned the hard way on a night I was too hungry to be patient.
- Letting the pie rest those ten minutes is not optional because cutting into it immediately will send sauce flooding across the cutting board and leave you with a sad soupy mess.
03 -
- Cold filling spreads more easily and keeps the bottom pastry from getting soggy before it hits the oven so consider making the filling a few hours ahead and refrigerating it.
- Placing the pie dish on a foil lined baking sheet catches any rogue drips and saves you from scrubbing burnt butter off the bottom of your oven the next morning.