Puffy Chicken Pot Pie (chicken pot pie with puff pastry)
Our favorite chicken pot pie, this one is FILLED with rotisserie chicken (easy), fresh veggies, garlic, herbs, and the secret time-saving ingredient of creme fraiche. This not only adds a boost of bright flavor to the sauce, but it also keeps us from having to make a roux. Quick and easy, this is one to keep around, guys.Â
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 5–ounces frozen peas (amount is flexible, no need to thaw)
- 2 garlic cloves (minimum), minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (left whole)
- 1 heaping 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
- 1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 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. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, garlic, poultry seasoning, whole rosemary sprig, stock concentrate, and season with S&P to taste. Cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and the creme fraiche and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and stir. NOTE: You could double down on the parmesan and peppercorn of the crust and add some right into this filling, if you like (1/2 cup grated parm, + extra fresh pepper, to taste).
- Transfer this mixture to your preferred baking dish or pie plate, or if your skillet is oven proof (hooray cast iron!) you can work right from there. Put the dish onto a baking sheet to catch any spillage.
- Working on a flat, lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry into 1-inch strips. You should get about 5. Brush the top-facing sides each strip with beaten egg and sprinkle with lots of cracked pepper and some grated parmesan (see my note).
- On a second baking sheet, lay half of the pastry strips down in parallel, evenly spaced vertical rows. Next, lattice the other half horizontally over top, as pictures (you don’t have to lattice – you can just lay them across if you prefer). I usually opt for a shingled windowpane type thing (as pictured), but however you want to do this is fine.
- Bake the filling on the bottom rack until bubbly, about 30 minutes, and the pastry on the middle rack, until deeply golden brown; about 20 to 22 minutes minutes. The filling doesn’t actually have to bake, but I find this creates deeper flavor and thickens the sauce beautifully.Â
- Lay the pastry crust right on top of the filling before serving. (Shhh no one has to no they didn’t technically “pie” together in the oven. They’re still happily married in this modern pie-making world).Â
Notes
I crush whole peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or my spice grinder and press some into one side of the egg washed 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!)