Chicken Pot Pie

Steps

1. Whisk the 2 1/2 cups flour and the salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle in 6 tablespoons of ice water and toss with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed, adding more water a spoonful at a time if needed. Pat into two disks, one a little larger, wrap them and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. While the dough chills, melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook 30 seconds.
3. Sprinkle in the 1/3 cup flour and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, then the half-and-half. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the kosher salt and pepper.
4. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the chicken, peas and parsley. Taste and add salt if it needs it. Let the filling cool for at least 30 minutes. A warm filling melts the crust before it can bake.
5. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third and a rimmed baking sheet on the rack.
6. On a floured counter, roll the larger disk into a 13-inch round and ease it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Spoon in the filling. Roll the second disk into an 11-inch round and lay it on top. Trim the edges to a 1/2-inch overhang, fold them under and crimp.
7. Brush the top with the egg wash and cut 5 or 6 small vents.
8. Set the pie on the hot baking sheet. Bake until the crust is deep golden, the filling bubbles through the vents and a thermometer in the center reads 165°F, 40 to 50 minutes. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of foil or a pie shield.
9. Let the pie rest for 15 minutes before cutting, so the filling sets.

Good to know

• Shortcut: use 2 refrigerated pie crusts, rolling the bottom one out to about 13 inches so it fits the deep dish, and the meat from a rotisserie chicken, about 3 cups.
• Make ahead: the filling keeps 1 day in the refrigerator and the dough 3 days. Or assemble the pie in a metal pan with cooled filling, skip the egg wash, wrap it well and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 400°F, loosely covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash and bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes more, until golden, bubbling and 165°F in the center.
• Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Cover slices and warm them in a 350°F oven until the center reads 165°F, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Swap: use leftover turkey and turkey broth, add sliced mushrooms with the onions, or use corn instead of peas.