I love chicken pot pie. It is one of my favorite meals to eat and make. I’ve been attempting to perfect it for years and I think I have finally achieved the taste and consistency I’ve been going for. The result is a savory, flavorful meal that feels like a warm hug.
One thing that I prefer to do is use puff pastry instead of pie crust. It’s buttery and flaky and complements the filling beautifully. It also feels a bit more elevated, and who doesn’t love a touch of fancy with their dinner?
I like to make it in a cast iron skillet so it’s one big, delicious pan of flavor. The puff pastry on top looks pretty, no matter how you lay/drape it and provides a satisfying crunch when you dig in.
This recipe has a lot of prep and steps, so make sure your kitchen is clean and all your dishes/cooking utensils are too. I feel like this makes preparing this slightly labor intensive meal much easier.
Let’s get into it!
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
Salt & pepper to season
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large russet potato
1/2 cup peas
3 Tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 package puff pastry
1 egg
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Remove puff pastry from the freezer and packaging to defrost on your countertop.
3. Dice the onions and celery and peel and dice the carrots and potato
4. In a small pot, add the diced potato and enough water to cover the potato completely. Place on a burner on high and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes or until potatoes are slightly soft, but not fork tender (we’re not mashing them, don’t forget, we want them to hold up to sautéing later on).
5. While the potatoes are boiling, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sear the them in a large cast iron skillet, cooking them completely, about 6-7 minutes each side depending on their thickness. Remove from the pan, chop into bite size chunks, and set aside.
6. In a sauté pan, add the olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the onions and celery are translucent and the carrots are tender. About 5-10 minutes depending on how small you diced them. Add the potatoes and peas and sauté for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In the cast iron skillet that you cooked the chicken in, make a roux with the butter and flour.
8. Slowly whisk the white wine into the roux. This will also help deglaze the pan and remove any stuck bits from cooking the chicken (aka added flavor). Whisk in the chicken stock and heavy cream, bring to a low boil.
9. Add the bay leaf, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper and reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes while the gravy thickens.
10. Once the gravy has thickened, add the sautéed vegetables and chopped chicken breast. Stir to combine.
11. Flour a clean countertop and roll out your puff pastry large enough to cover the skillet. You can cut it up into strips and make a lattice over the top, or cut into small squares or triangles and make a layered geometric pattern. Or if you’re lazy like I am, I like to just roll it out big enough to cover the skillet and then fold over the corners so they’re contained on top.
12. In a small bowl, beat the egg to create an egg wash. You can add a little water to the beat egg if you want, I never do personally, but to each their own. Brush this all over the puff pastry.
13. Place the covered skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the puff pastry crust rises and is golden brown.
Let it cool for at least 10 minutes and then dig in.
I love this meal so much and I hope that you enjoy it too. The flavors from the sage and the addition of the white wine really elevates it. I’ve fed it to my husband, son, mom, dad, and sister and they’ve all agreed – it’s really good!
