Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch coins
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp dried
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus a little for rolling
• 2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup frozen peas, no need to thaw
• 1 piece frozen puff pastry sheet, about 9 oz, thawed in the fridge
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

The salt amounts here are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you have Morton kosher salt, use a little over half as much, because its grains are denser and saltier by the spoon.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Toss the chicken with half the salt and the pepper.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in an even layer and cook, stirring once or twice, until it is opaque all over and browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Tip it into a bowl, juices and all.
3. Turn the heat to medium and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the onion, carrots, celery and the rest of the salt and cook, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion is soft and the carrots have lost their raw snap, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until no dry flour shows and it smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the broth a little at a time so it doesn't lump, then the cream.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is as thick as gravy and coats the back of a spoon heavily, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and its juices and the peas, taste for salt, and take the skillet off the heat. Let it stand 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured counter, roll the pastry just enough to make a square an inch wider than the skillet. Keep it in the fridge until the filling has stood its 10 minutes.
7. Lay the pastry over the filling and press the overhang against the inside edge of the pan. Brush it all over with the egg and cut four short slits in the center.
8. Set the skillet on a sheet pan and bake until the pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, with filling bubbling up through the slits, 25 to 30 minutes; pastry that's still pale will be doughy underneath. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

With leftover roast or rotisserie chicken, or Thanksgiving turkey, skip step 2 and use 3 cups of shredded meat and all the butter for the vegetables. The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; warm it before the pastry goes on. Leftovers keep 3 days, though the pastry softens; reheat in a 350°F oven.