Easy Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

There’s something so wonderfully comforting about a savoury pie. After taste-testing just about every cottage pie I could find while on vacation in the UK, I set out to make my own at home. I created this recipe with two things in mind: speed and ease. My goal was to come up with a recipe that I could quickly whip up after a long day of work, without having to sacrifice on taste. The answer: rotisserie chicken! I love making this recipe with rotisserie chicken leftovers – the pre-cooked, shredded meat swirls into the thick gravy of veggies and cuts down the prep time by about 20 minutes, which is a huge win.

My other secret to this beautiful golden pie is using puff pastry as the crust, instead of a pre-made pie crust. Both options are delicious, but the puff pastry is just a touch fluffier and flakier, which makes it oh-so-satisfying to cut into when it’s fresh out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 frozen prepared puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet. Add the onion and garlic, sauté until translucent. Add the potato cubes and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and stir, cook for an additional 5 minutes or until soft. Add in chicken and peas, then sprinkle the flour on top, covering the vegetables, and quickly stir to avoid lumps. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
3. Place the puff pastry over the chicken and vegetable mixture and carefully seal along the edges of the skillet with your fingers or a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg wash, and cut 4 slits in the top to release steam. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

RECIPE NOTES

I prefer to use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken to speed up the process, but if you don’t have any on hand you can sub in diced chicken thighs and cook them until golden on the outside and no longer pink in the center. Add in to the vegetable mixture just before you thicken with flour.