Best Chicken Pot Pie

Directions

1. Make the filling: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan (with high, straight sides) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat as needed, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute until fragrant. With the heat now at medium to medium-low, add the remaining tablespoon butter and mix. Once it’s completely melted, add the flour and stir-fry for 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add a splash (figure ¼ cup or so) of milk. Stir until smooth (it will be very thick and pasty at that point—that’s okay). Add another, slightly larger splash and stir. Repeat this until you’ve added all the milk. Stir in the chicken bouillon. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring slowly but constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until thick enough that dragging a spoon along the bottom of the pot leaves a trail; toward the end of this time, it should reach a gentle simmer. When the gravy is thick, stir in the chicken and frozen peas. Cook another few minutes, stirring occasionally, to thaw and cook the peas. Cut the heat, then stir in the herbs. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and chicken bouillon as needed.
2. Let the chicken pot pie filling cool, uncovered, until barely warm, then get in the fridge, in an airtight container, to cool completely. Adding a chilled filling to the pie encourages a flaky, crispy, browned crust. The filling will keep in the fridge for a few days.
3. Make the pie dough: Chop the butter sticks into tablespoons. Put these on a plate in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. Add the flours, salt, sugar, and pepper to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir on low for a few seconds just to combine. Add the butter and pulse on low (to prevent the flour from flying everywhere!), for 15 to 30 seconds of active mixing, until none of the butter pieces are bigger than a plump chickpea. If there are any oversized stragglers, you can squash them between your fingers (just turn off the mixer first). Once the butter is broken down, turn on the mixer again to low and slowly pour in the water. As soon as a dough begins form clumps and curds, and the sides of the bowl no longer look dusty, stop the mixer. It should not be in a cohesive ball at this point, but it should hold together when squeezed. It’s better to undermix than overmix here (you can also mix more by hand). (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make this dough by hand. Simply combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add the butter cubes, and incorporate with your fingertips. Stir with a fork while you pour in the water. Refer to the same visual cues mentioned above.) Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two portions. One should be slightly larger than the other (if you have a scale, you can estimate about 350 grams for one ball, 284 grams for the other). The larger one will be our bottom crust (which needs to cover more ground), while the smaller one will be the top crust. Wrap both of these blobs in plastic, then press down to form a well-sealed disc. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling and assembling the pie.
4. Heat the oven to 425°F. Take the pie dough discs out of the fridge, unwrap, and let hang out on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Roll out the larger disc into a 12-inch circle and set into a 9-inch glass pie pan. Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the corners of the pan, so it’s as snug as can be. Roll out the smaller disc into a 10- to 11-inch circle. Fill the dough-lined pie pan with the cold chicken pot pie filling and use a spoon to smooth out to fill the pan completely. Top with the smaller round of pie dough. Trim any excess so you have an even ¾-inch overhang. Use your fingers to squeeze the two layers together, then fold the overhang under itself, so the edge is tucked into the pie pan and a ridge is formed. Use your fingers to reinforce this ridge, so it’s distinctly shaped, then crimp the edge of the pie crust into ruffles. The easiest way to crimp is by creating a guide with the thumb and pointer finger of your left hand, then pushing the dough outward with the pointer finger of your right hand. (If you’re a lefty, flip accordingly.) Use a paring knife to cut four slits in the center of the top crust. Place the pie pan on a rimmed sheet pan (this makes getting in and out of the oven a lot simpler).
5. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes (rotating halfway through), until the crusty is deeply golden brown. Let sit on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes—the filling will still be very warm, but not too liquidy.
6. Cut into big wedges and serve warm.