Store-bought rotisserie chicken and puff pastry make these individual chicken pot pies easy to prepare.

Between the chicken, the sauce, and the crust, you could spend an entire day in the kitchen making traditional chicken pot pie. For this version, my goal was to come up with an easy recipe that didn’t sacrifice flavor. After many trials, I found that using a rotisserie chicken for the filling and a good quality store-bought puff pastry for the crust were both excellent shortcuts. With that settled, I moved on to tackle the problem with most chicken pot pies: the bland, goopy white sauce. I thinned the sauce to a chowder-like consistency. I also borrowed an ingredient from my favorite turkey gravy – Cognac – and it added that je ne sais quoi that makes these chicken pot pies next-level delicious.

What you’ll need to make chicken pot pie

recommend Dufour all-butter puff pastry if you can find it (it’s sold at Whole Foods) but Pepperidge Farm, which is readily available in the freezer section of most supermarkets, is very good, too.

How to make chicken pot pie

To begin, dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and place the puff pastry over top.

Sprinkle the pastry with flour and roll to about 1/8-inch thick, smoothing the creases with the rolling pin at the same time. Using a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a pizza cutter, cut out 4 circles about 2 inches larger than the circumference of your soup bowls. Place the dough rounds on a foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.

Next, make the filling. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter, Add the yellow onion, garlic, celery, pearl onions, and carrots.

Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the carrots are just cooked.

Add the flour.

Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

Add the broth, cognac, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour.

Simmer until thickened, a few minutes. Off the heat, stir in the heavy cream, herbs, chicken, and peas.

Ladle the filling into oven-safe ramekins or soup bowls (be sure they are oven proof up to 425°F). The filling should come up no more than three-quarters of the way to the top of the bowls. If you have extra, make another bowl.

Brush the outside edges of each bowl with an egg wash.

Place the cold dough rounds over the soup bowls, pressing firmly around the edges so that the dough adheres, and then brush the top of the dough with the egg wash.

Using a sharp knife, make a ½-inch slit in the top of each pie. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is a rich golden brown.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then use a wide spatula to carefully transfer the hot ramekins to serving plates. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme sprigs over top of the bowls and serve.

For this recipe, you’ll need oven-safe (up to 425°F) soup bowls. To make four servings, use bowls with an 18 to 20-oz capacity. To make six servings, use bowls with a 12 to 14-oz capacity.

Note: This recipe has been written by Jenn Segal and republished on MudMatter with Author’s Permission. Please find the original link here – Chicken Pot Pie.