Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

For the recipe

• 600 g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 245 g plain all-purpose flour, divided: 200 g for pastry and 45 g for filling
• 135 g unsalted butter, divided: 100 g cold and cubed for pastry, 35 g for filling
• 50-65 ml ice-cold water, as needed for pastry
• 6 g fine salt, divided: 2 g for pastry and 4 g for filling
• 150 g onion, peeled and finely diced
• 150 g carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
• 100 g celery, finely diced
• 150 g mushrooms, sliced
• 9 g garlic, finely chopped
• 150 g frozen peas
• 400 ml low-sodium chicken stock
• 250 ml whole milk
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
• 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 15 g beaten egg (about 1 tablespoon), for glazing the pastry

Instructions

1. For the pastry, mix 200 g flour with 2 g salt in a bowl. Add 100 g cold cubed butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-size butter pieces remaining.
2. Drizzle in 50 ml ice-cold water and mix with a fork. Add more water a teaspoon at a time only until the dough holds together when pressed. Gather into a flat disc without kneading, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. For the filling, melt the remaining 35 g butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until their released moisture has mostly evaporated.
4. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning the pieces so their surfaces turn opaque; they will finish cooking in the sauce.
5. Sprinkle the remaining 45 g flour over the chicken and vegetables. Stir for 1 minute so no loose flour remains. Gradually pour in the stock while stirring, then add the milk. Scrape the base of the pan to release any flour sticking to it.
6. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to leave a brief trail when a spoon is drawn through it and the largest chicken pieces reach 74°C (165°F). Add a small splash of water only if the sauce becomes too thick before the chicken is cooked.
7. Stir in the frozen peas, parsley, remaining 4 g salt and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a deep 26 cm pie dish with a capacity of approximately 2.5 liters. Leave about 1.5 cm clear below the rim. Let the filling stop steaming for approximately 20 minutes.
8. Heat the oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan (400°F). Place a baking tray on the middle rack to preheat. Roll the chilled pastry between two sheets of baking paper into a circle large enough to cover the dish with about 2 cm overhang, approximately 3-4 mm thick.
9. Brush the dish rim lightly with some of the measured beaten egg. Drape the pastry over the cooled filling, press onto the rim and tuck or crimp the edges. Use any small offcuts as decorations so the pastry quantity is retained in the finished pie.
10. Cut three short steam vents in the center. Brush the pastry with the remaining measured beaten egg, avoiding a heavy puddle at the edges. Place the pie dish on the hot baking tray.
11. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the filling bubbles through the vents. Check through a vent that the filling at the center reaches 74°C (165°F). Shield the pastry loosely with foil if it browns before the center is hot.
12. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut the pastry into six sections and spoon the filling into bowls, topping each portion with pastry.