There are very few things that say comfort food like a chicken pot pie. I go for the classic combination with chicken, peas, carrots and a parsnip for flare, in a rich creamy white sauce that is made with fresh thyme and parsley. The whole thing is draped in a crust of homemade puff pastry. It is this last detail that transforms this bastion of Americana into something utterly sublime. The mille feuilles (thousand leaves) of pastry are baked as a golden brown crown that adds the flaky contrast to the creamy stew below. Seriously folks, it got me mother of the year status in my house! 😉
Puff pastry is the ultimate dough in any home or professional kitchen. One that is not at all difficult to make, but it requires some of your time and a bit of your patience. The store bought version may be convenient but it will leave you feeling lackluster, while the homemade dough will make you weep. In order to get the flaky puff that gives this dough its name, you must diligently “laminate” layers of dough with layers of butter, about one thousand in all. It is the butter that create steam as the dough bakes, which causes all the layers to separate into a flaky crust. Once you work with and taste the pastry you will understand why it is worth every moment that goes into its preparation. I make a batch that will easily prepare pot pie for dinner, a napoleon for dessert and flaky caramelized palmier to dip into my morning coffee. Or, the dough can be frozen for a month.
Do you have pie questions or need to troubleshoot your recipe? Check out my guide on how to make pie crust.
I’ve made several pot pie recipes and this time I tried one from Christopher Kimball’s latest kitchen tome The Cook’s Country Cookbook. It is a very simple and fast recipe that makes a chicken pot pie worthy of my puff pastry. I baked it in these fabulous individual red Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Ramekin with Cover.
Puff Pastry by Zoë
Dough layer:
2 ounces (1/2 stick) soft unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups (11 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 3/4 ounces) cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cold water
Butter layer:
1 pound (4 sticks) soft unsalted butter – not so soft that the stick can’t old its shape when picked up.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1. Make the dough by putting the 2 ounces of butter, flours, salt and water into your Stand Mixer
with the Dough Hook
2. Press the dough out onto a sheet of parchment or a Silpat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is chilling prepare the butter layer. Mix together the 1 pound of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, and salt until very smooth. there should be no hard lumps of butter.
4. Once the dough is chilled Roll it out into a large rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick, about 12×18-inches. Spread the butter over 2/3 of the dough with an Offset Spatula. Be sure to leave about 1/2-inch border around the butter.
5. Now you need to “lock in” the butter, so that it won’t leak out of your dough while you are working with it. Fold the 1/3 of dough that has no butter over the middle 1/3.
6. Fold the last 1/3 of the dough over the middle again. Press the edges shut, to lock in the butter.
7. Place the dough back onto the tray and cover with plastic wrap. refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. You should check after 20 minutes to make sure the butter is not getting too hard.
8. Take the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to the 12×18-inch rectangle again on a lightly floured surface. Be sure that you are careful not to squeeze the butter out of the ends of the dough. In fact, you want to avoid the edges as much as possible as you are rolling.
9. Before you begin folding the dough brush the excess flour off of the dough with a Pastry Brush.
10. You are going to fold the dough in thirds again, like a letter. Start with one end and fold it over the middle section. Brush off the excess flour. Fold over the other side.
11. Gently roll the dough out a little bit so that the layers will chill faster when you stick it back into the refrigerator. Sometimes you can roll it quite a bit and others the butter is too soft or hard or the dough is resisting. If the dough is resisting, give up and cover it with plastic.
12. Now you have completed your first “turn” of the dough and you need to mark it as such. It is traditional to make an indentation in the dough, either with your finger or the blunt backside of a knife. If you are using parchment paper you can mark the turns right on the paper.
You need to repeat steps 7-12 a total of 5 more times, you will have 6 full turns by the end. As the layers of butter get thinner and thinner the time needed between turns in the refrigerator gets shorter. By the final turn you will only need to let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. If your dough is behaving well, you may even get 2 turns in one go. Don’t rush the dough, it is best to keep the dough chilled.
Now your dough is ready to use or freeze.
To make and bake the Pot Pie:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Use the pot pie recipe of your choice.
Cut the puff pastry dough in half. Roll out one half until it is 1/8-inch thick. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze the other piece of dough. It will last in the refrigerator or about 3-5 days, frozen it will last for a month.
If you are using the heart shaped baking dishes you can measure the outside of the lid and that will give you the right size dough. For any dish without a lid you need to measure the dish and make sure the dough measures about a 1/4-inch wider than the dish on all sides. As the dough bakes it will rise quite a bit and shrink in width. BTW-you will not use the lids for baking this!
Fill the baking dish with your filling, nearly to the top, but not quite.
Top with the dough. Tuck it into the pot so that it isn’t hanging over the edges.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the pastry is a golden brown.
Enjoy!
The red cookware would look perfect in my kitchen! But I think I’d have to give it to my mom – she’d love it more:)
Awesome blog by the way!
@MaryAPorch
you make it look sooo easy
I will do it manyanna
Wow, homemade puff pastry! You’re my hero 🙂 Those heart pots are adorable… would *love* to have one 🙂
My mom would definitely dig one of these.
I love my mother’s turkey pot pie. Maybe I can get her to make me some in one of those adorable ramekins!
That looks downright DIVINE! A recipe worth all the effort for the puff pastry for certain. Thanks for the primer and all the great photos!
YOU get a prize for making your own puff pastry! One of my latest peeves expressed on chowhound.com is that I have heard many restaurants and individuals use frozen puff pastry. I know it’s a lot of work- I made it in high school with a friend – we constructed napoleons , and it took us 3 days! Thanks so much! ps I LOVE chicken pot pie..hint hint…
I love those heart ramekins. I think my mom would love it too. My dad passed away in September after a short battle with cancer and I think one of those would bring a smile to her face!!!
I love the heart shape.
It would be fun to make quite a few things in them.
Looks delicious! Everything tastes better in heart-shape.
Fate! I was just browsing for a chicken pot pie recipe when I came across yours! WOW!! It looks absolutely delicious and your puff pastry is to die for! Love the heart ramekins and they would so complete my family of heart pans. Thanks for your beautiful blog!! In the words of my daughter, “It Rocks!!!”
I would love to give my mom those heart shaped dishes for Mother’s Day – she would really enjoy them!
This would make my mom’s cooking for one glamorous – certainly helpful through the transition! Seeing the love right there!
I, too, would love to win the heart-shaped dish.
Who wouldn’t love that adorable little ramekin – especially filled with chicken pot pie, which is always my comfort food of choice. Thanks for the inspiring puff pastry demo too!
Ohhh I would love the heart shaped pot. I love cute food
My mom would adore these pot pies, especially in the heart dishes.
I’m a momma and I have yet to own any Le Creuset. Please let it be me!
Way to go Zoe! You bake AND rock!
Love to give this little gem to my little mum.
Wow, homemade puff pastry! I thought that was a baker’s myth. Looks delicious!
i have to give you a standing ovation and pat on the back for making your own puff pastry. i’m super-impressed!
Thanks for the puff pastry primer! I love those little heart shaped ramekins but I don’t know that I would have ever thought to make pot pies in them. What a happy combination!
I love the look of that. It would be perfect to give to my mom as she’s single and rarely has time to cook for herself anymore. I could make it ahead and she could just pop it in when she had time!
I’ve always wanted to try making puff pastry, one of these days I’m going to get ambitious and do it!
That’s so cute! I need to make puff pastry again, it’s so much easier than people think.
I’d love to share the heart-shaped ramekin with my mom – she has a lot of dietary restrictions but I just showed her for her birthday that she CAN have cake if she gets creative and now she’s trying to get back into baking.
I used to love chicken potpie, haven’t had it in years but that might have to change!
What a cute little shape too! Except…I would probably use it for flourless chocolate cake and forget to make the pot pie ;o)