Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Here’s what you need; it may look like a long list but you probably have most of these ingredients in your house right now:

• Butter
• Onion, carrots, and celery
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic
• Ground or fresh thyme
• Flour
• White wine
• Chicken broth
• Rotisserie chicken
• Frozen peas
• Lemon
• Egg
• Frozen puff pastry

How to make Chicken Pot Pie Casserole:

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. 

Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and thyme to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour, and stir until the vegetables are fully coated and the flour cooks slightly, about 1 minute.

Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes.

Add in the chicken broth, followed by the shredded rotisserie chicken, and stir gently. Cook until the broth comes to a simmer and thickens, about 5 more minutes.

Off heat, add in the frozen peas, and cook until just warmed through. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Lightly roll up the puff pastry onto your rolling pin, then unfurl it over the casserole.

Brush the pastry with the egg/water mixture until evenly coated. This will help the pastry get nicely golden brown, so be sure it touches every part of the surface. Cut 5–6 small slits in the center of the puff pastry so steam can escape. Bake until the pastry is deeply golden brown, even mahogany around the edges, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

A few make-ahead tips:

• Chop the onion, carrots, and celery a day before (you can chop in a food processor for even greater ease). Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The vegetables all go into the pot at the same time, so they can be stored in one container. Do the same for the garlic, but save it in a separate container.
• Pick the meat off the rotisserie chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store, as it is much easier to pull the meat off the bones when the chicken is warm. Store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before using.