Chicken Pot Pie (Puff Pastry)

Don't fall into the trap of thinking this chicken pot pie recipe is too much work. In fact, your supermarket is going to do most of the heavy lifting, not that anyone else needs to know that. Store-bought rotisserie chicken, puff pastry (or pie dough), and a simple gravy spiked with flavourful condiments like hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce all come together to create something that tastes truly homemade.

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground
6 oz carrots (about 4 small or 2 medium), peeled, chopped
4 cups chicken meat (from 1 small rotisserie chicken), coarsely chopped or shredded
1½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
1½ cups frozen peas, thawed
2 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (one 14 oz pkg or half of 17.3 oz pkg), thawed in refrigerator
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and thyme and cook, stirring often, until shallot is translucent and golden, about 4 minutes. Add ½ cup flour and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is pale golden and smells like popcorn, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in broth ½ cupful at a time, incorporating completely before adding more. Whisk in cream; season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a simmer and add carrots; cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes.

Mix in chicken, pearl onions, and peas, then add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture to a shallow 2 qt baking dish. Unfold pastry and gently roll out on a lightly floured work surface just to smooth any creases and make large enough to fit over dish, if needed. Drape over baking dish and trim pastry so it is slightly larger than the dish if using puff pastry (you want a little overhang), or crimp dough around edge of dish if using pie dough. Brush with egg and make 2 or 3 slits in the pastry with a sharp knife.

Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any filling that may drip over) and bake until puff pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling through slits in pastry, 20-30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and cooked through, 30-35 minutes longer.

Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 Servings.