Puffy Chicken Pot Pie (Parmesan Peppercorn)

This Puffy Chicken Pot Pie with it’s parmesan peppercorn crust (chicken pot pie with puff pastry) is a simple, delicious way to make a chicken pot pie in record time. We’ll swap out a classic pastry/pie crust for some store-bought puff pastry for a fun and dramatic effect. A filling built on rotisserie chicken, fresh veggies, and my secret ingredient of creme fraiche comes together in less than 15 minutes. So easy! Read on for a few tips or just jump ahead to the recipe itself.

What you’ll need to make this Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

As Ina Garten would say, this is a chicken pot pie recipe that has the volume turned up. I’m not really reinventing the wheel here, I’m just emphasizing the aspects of a pot pie that I happen to really love. Most conspicuously here is the crust, right? I’ve swapped out the classic pie pastry for a decidedly more voluminous puff pastry, favoring that billowy, poofed effect tenfold.

I love the shattering effect of all those buttery, flaky layers when you scoop into the hot dish – it’s awesome. Very high-drama, as much as a humble chicken pot pie can be. What’s more, we’ll add immense flavor to that puffy crown by seasoning it really well with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorn. A shower of salty, grated parm ensures that this is one pot pie crust that will absolutely be remembered, long after the dishes have been washed.

The secret ingredient to making the easiest, most luscious pot pie

So, traditionally, you’ll see pot pies made with a roux base – a thickened flour and butter mixture that helps create a creamy, rich sauce for the pie. That’s a great way to go about things, no doubt, but to quicken things up even more, we’ll just use a container of creme fraiche (I’ve been loving it lately) to give not only amazing creaminess, but also a welcome boost of acidity/tang. That’s a total MKL win-win.

If you’re unfamiliar with creme fraiche, it’s a great ingredient to keep around, and I’ve found that it’s much more widely available now and it’s also dropped in price in recent years (it used to be a little too pricey to justify using all the time). Here’s a thorough explanation of what it is.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 large carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

10-ounces frozen peas (no need to thaw)

2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 sprig fresh rosemary (left whole)

1 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate (dried or liquid is fine)

Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste (see note)

8-ounce container creme fraiche (cream cheese works, if you can’t find)

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded (white and dark meat)

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed (such as Pepperidge Farm)

1 egg, beaten

½ cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese

How to make this Puffy Chicken Pot Pie

We’ll saute some veggies in a little olive oil, and then boost that flavor with dried and fresh herbs and a good hit of fresh garlic. Note: we’ll use a whole sprig of fresh rosemary to draw out the flavor and aroma of the herb. This scents the whole filling beautifully, while avoiding the woody, toughness that can be found in the leaves sometimes. You can certainly chop some and throw that in, if you like. But this is just my preferred way to use rosemary.

Chick stock and creme fraiche combine to create the creamy, dreamy body of the filling and of course, the star of the show is going to be that puffy topping.

How to create the puffy crust

Okay, you need to know that this is EASY. No need to overthink it. We’re just going to lay strips of store-bought puff pastry on top of each other in a very shingled, window pane sort of way and bake that off right next to the skillet itself (on a separate baking sheet). Or, you can shingle them over top of the filling and bake it all off together. It’s not technically a pie if you opt for the former, but shhh we won’t tell okay?

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

Add the oil to a large, deep skillet set over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until everything is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, garlic, poultry seasoning, whole rosemary sprig, stock concentrate, and season with salt and pepper to taste (the stock and concentrate have salt so be a little conservative). Cook for about a minute. 

Add 2.5 cups water and creme fraiche and stir to combine. Add the shredded chicken and stir. Transfer this mixture to your preferred large baking dish, or if your skillet is oven proof (hooray cast iron!) you can work right from there.  

Working on a flat, lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry into 1-inch strips (a pizza cutter is great here). Brush one side of each strip with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle/top with lots of cracked pepper and some grated parmesan (see my note).

Lay the pastry across the top of the skillet or baking dish, arranging them however you like. I usually opt for a shingled windowpane type thing (as pictured), but however you want to do it is fine. Bake until deeply golden brown; about 25 minutes. Enjoy. 

(I crush whole peppercorns with a mortar and pestle and pressed some into one side of the strips of pastry, as pictured. I sprinkled some flaky sea salt on as well, but you could go crazy and add fresh or dried herbs, a seasoned salt – whatever you like!)

If you like the looks of this Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry, you might also enjoy:

Spice Rubbed Chicken with Loaded Rice and Chile

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Honey Crisped Tortillas

Super Easy Chicken and Chorizo Enchilada Skillet

Chili Garlic Chicken Skillet with Tangerines

Tunisian Harissa Chicken & Olive Skillet

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