Chicken Pot Pie with a Flaky Top Crust

Before you start

A good chicken pot pie is really a well-made chicken stew wearing a pastry lid. Poaching boneless thighs in stock gives you tender meat and a flavorful liquid for the sauce at the same time. The sauce is a simple roux thickened with that stock and a splash of cream, generous enough to coat everything but thick enough that it does not flood the plate when you cut in.

Using only a top crust keeps the pastry crisp; a bottom crust under a wet filling rarely bakes through. The most important step is letting the filling cool before the pastry goes on. Hot filling melts the butter in the dough, and the crust bakes up flat and greasy instead of flaky. Cut proper vents so steam escapes rather than lifting and soaking the lid.

Ingredients

• Crust200 g (1⅔ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 140 g (½ cup plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter — very cold, cubed
• 75 to 90 ml (5 to 6 tbsp) ice water
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
• Chicken700 g (1½ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 720 ml (3 cups) low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• Filling75 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 medium (about 150 g) onion, diced
• 2 medium (about 150 g) carrots, diced 1 cm
• 2 ribs (about 100 g) celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 48 g (6 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• 130 g (1 cup) frozen peas
• to taste salt and black pepper — start with ¾ tsp salt

Method

1. Cut the butter into the flour and salt until the pieces range from peas to small almonds. Toss in the ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds when squeezed. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Put the chicken, stock and bay leaf in a saucepan, bring to a bare simmer and cook gently, partly covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F). Lift out the chicken, cut it into bite-size pieces and measure 600 ml of the stock, topping it up with water if needed.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 minutes so it cooks without browning. Gradually whisk in the reserved stock, then the cream, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats a spoon thickly.
5. Stir in the chicken, thyme and frozen peas, then season to taste. Spread the filling in the baking dish and let it cool for about 30 minutes, until no longer steaming.
6. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll the dough 2.5 cm (1 in) larger than the top of the dish and about 4 mm thick. Lay it over the filling, fold the overhang under and crimp it against the rim. Brush with egg wash and cut four 3 cm (1¼ in) vents.
7. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles thickly through the vents. The center of the filling should read at least 74°C (165°F).
8. Rest for 15 minutes so the sauce thickens before serving.

Tips for success

• The sauce should look a little thicker than you want before baking. The peas and vegetables release moisture in the oven.
• Taste for salt after the cream goes in. Low-sodium stock varies widely, and a well-seasoned sauce is what makes the pie taste of chicken.
• Decorate the lid with leaves cut from pastry scraps, brushed with egg wash so they brown and stick.

Substitutions

Chicken thighs

Use 500 g leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken and 600 ml good stock. The filling is faster but slightly less juicy.

Homemade crust

Use 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry for a taller, crisper lid; bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30 to 35 minutes.

Heavy cream

Whole milk makes a lighter, slightly thinner sauce. Add an extra 1 tbsp flour to the roux to compensate.

Variations

Biscuit-topped pot pie

Drop 8 unbaked buttermilk biscuits onto the cooled filling instead of pastry; bake at 220°C (425°F) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Turkey and mushroom

Use cooked turkey and replace the celery with 200 g sliced mushrooms browned in the butter.

Troubleshooting

The crust is pale and doughy underneath

The filling was hot when the crust went on, or there were not enough vents. Cool the filling first and cut generous slits.

The filling is soupy

The roux was too light for the liquid or the sauce was not simmered. Cook it until it coats a spoon thickly, and rest the pie before serving.

The edges burned before the center bubbled

Shield the rim with foil after 25 minutes. A filling that started cold from the fridge needs 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers, covered, within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat portions in a 175°C (350°F) oven until the center reaches 74°C (165°F). The unbaked, assembled pie freezes for up to 3 months; bake it from frozen at 190°C (375°F) for about 75 minutes, covering the crust with foil if it browns too fast.

Safety notes

Poultry must reach 74°C (165°F). Check both the poached chicken and the center of the baked filling with a thermometer. Contains wheat, egg and milk.