Ingredients
Filling:
- 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
Pastry Crust:
- 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
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions
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.
















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By lilredcougar
on April 23, 2013
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I've been making my own version of this using puff pastry for years and the puff pastry really makes it so I'm sure this recipe is great! For those of us who live alone dealing with the fact that the puff pastry doesn't keep so well in the fridge as leftovers, what I do is instead of putting it on the pie, I roll it out and cut it into whatever size squares I want and bake them and then just spoon the chicken mixture over how ever many squares I want. The other squares can be wrapped and left on the counter til the next day. It's not as pretty as topping a ramiken but it works way better as leftovers. To be honest I cheat and buy puff pastry dough instead of making it myself. Also, I've discovered that cheddar cheese in the chicken mixture is absolutely delicious!! It's definitely a recipe that people can taylor to their own likes, have fun!!
By LovesAGoodEat
Annapolis, MD
on February 18, 2013
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Instead of making individual pot pies, I opted to make a casserole version for my parents. It was AMAZING! This has to be my favorite recipe so far. Its creamy, full of vegetables, and the crust was delicious. I hope that my left over lunch tomorrow will be just as good!
By goonsquad
on January 11, 2013
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Alton Brown nailed it. The flavor was incredible, among the top chicken pot pies I've ever had and it came out of my kitchen. This recipe is a great example of why I almost always search for Alton's recipes for a dish before trying any other, it's just a classic.
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