Chicken Pot Pie III

This chicken pot pie is a top-crust-only version, which means more filling per bite and one less rolled crust to fuss with. The base sauce is a proper roux-thickened gravy: butter and flour cooked together for a minute (no raw flour taste), then chicken broth and half-and-half whisked in to build a velvety velouté.

The classic mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot gets a 10-minute sauté in butter before the flour goes in, which softens the vegetables and pulls out their sweetness. Cooking the flour for a full minute after adding it is what stops the sauce from tasting pasty.

Cut steam slits in the pastry top before baking; without them, steam pushes up against the crust and creates soggy spots. The crust browns and crisps while the filling bubbles up around the edges.

Chef Tips

• Use store-bought puff pastry or pie dough if you don’t want to make pastry from scratch; both work for a single-crust pie.
• Cut the chicken in larger dice, not shredded; it holds its texture better in the thick gravy.
• Let the pie rest 10 minutes after pulling from the oven before serving; the filling thickens as it cools and slices cleaner.
• Use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. Pull the meat from a store-bought bird and simmer the carcass for the broth.

Variations

• Stir a cup of frozen peas in with the chicken for a more traditional pot pie.
• Add a tablespoon of fresh thyme or sage with the salt and pepper for an herbal lift.
• Top with mashed potato instead of pastry for a chicken cottage-pie hybrid.