| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and/or breast, skin and bone removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- 3 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups 2 percent milk, room temperature
- 8 ounces frozen green peas
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon
- 10 ounces bread flour
- 2 ounces whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon fine kosher salt
- 10 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
- 12 tablespoons ice water
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
- For the filling: Place 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside but not dry, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside in a medium bowl.
- Decrease the heat to medium and heat the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet until it shimmers. Add the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried tarragon, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring continually. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the peas, thyme, tarragon, and reserved chicken. Cover and set aside.
- For the crust: Combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Place the flour mixture and butter in a mound on a clean work surface. Use a bench scraper to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of almonds. Add the ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix into the dough, using the bench scraper, until it just barely comes together. Do not add too much water, it will come together.
- Shape into a rectangle and pound with a rolling pin until it is about the size of a sheet of notebook paper, approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches.
- Use the bench scraper to fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Pound with the rolling pin until the piece of dough is again the size of a sheet of notebook paper and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat the pounding, folding, and rotating 2 more times for a total of 4 turns of the dough.
- Pound with rolling pin and fold the shorter sides of the rectangle in towards the center, from top to bottom, and then fold in half, like a book. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- For the egg wash: Combine the beaten egg and water in a small dish and set aside.
- To build the pie: Divide the warm filling into 4 (16-ounce) ramekins and place on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator. Divide in half. Return one half to the refrigerator. Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll to 1/4-inch thick and, using your ramekins as a guide, cut 2 circles that are 1/2 inch wider than the rim, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Refrigerate excess dough for another use.
- Brush each dough round with egg wash and place egg washed-side down onto the top of each filled ramekin. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to 400 degrees F and bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown and the filling is bubbly, another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1605 |
| Total Fat | 110 g |
| Saturated Fat | 54 g |
| Carbohydrates | 103 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 403 mg |
| Sodium | 1940 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1605 |
| Total Fat | 110 g |
| Saturated Fat | 54 g |
| Carbohydrates | 103 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 403 mg |
| Sodium | 1940 mg |
Reviews
This is my family’s favorite recipe! To make it easier, I make a big batch in a casserole dish and use pre-made puff pastry.
This is a delicious pot pie, but it should be noted that it’s extremely high in sodium. 3.5 teaspoons of kosher salt in a recipe that serves 4? I believe kosher salt is 480 mg sodium per 1/4 teaspoon, so this recipe is 6720 mg. That’s a whopping 1680 mg sodium per serving! Still delicious though.
So delicious!!!
Prepared exactly as written, this is an outstanding recipe. I agree with Alton- puff pastry is definitely the best for pot pie. Another outstanding recipe amigo.
Made this using frozen puff pastry in an 8” square pan. Pretty much followed the recipe except I only used dried tarragon and thyme (didn’t have fresh). It was delicious and my husband apologized when he went back for thirds! He certainly didn’t have to apologize for that … I’m thrilled that he loved it that much! Will make it again and maybe serve it over rice or noodles.
It turned out amazing and it is an easy meal to prepare (especially when you buy remade Pie Crust). I substituted the small onions for chopped green beans. As a heads up, the recipe yields much more than the recipe suggests (made 6-8 14 oz. ramekins).
To quote my daughter-in-law. My husband is in charge of picking every baked chicken before I make stock so there’s always a bag of bite size pieces in the freezer. Started with that but the spices and gravy in this recipe are the perfect combination and the entire potpie was amazing. A definite keeper!
.very good & very easy. I used frozen puff pastry & added some frozen peas Wish there was a picture of this.
This looks like a good example for puff pastry. Do you have a video that details all these steps?
This is a recipe for a weekend or day off when you have the time to spend chopping in the kitchen. I put on music, pour a glass of wine, and enjoy the colors, scents, and feel of the food. What a delicious pie! As always, I made it as written the first time, and the recipe is solid. Next time I’ll add a touch more herb but that’s my own taste. Wonderful chicken pot pie!