Chicken Pot Pie With Homemade Puff Pastry - Alton Brown - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Pastry Crust
10 ounces bread flour
2 ounces whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, processed in a spice grinder to yield 1 tsp fine salt
10 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
12 tablespoons ice water
Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (thighs and or or breasts)
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 medium celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk, at room temperature
1/2 lb frozen green pea
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon
Egg Wash
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water

Preparation

In a zip-top bag, combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt and butter. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
Place a 10-12\" cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. When it shimmers, cook chicken pieces (in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding) along with 1 tsp kosher salt. When cooked through but not browned, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Return pan to heat, but reduce to medium. Add another 1 tbsp oil, then add onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic, as well as 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme and dried tarragon. Cook, stirring often, until onions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Add butter. When melted, sprinkle over flour and stir well for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw-flour taste. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes until thickened.
Off heat, return chicken to sauce, along with peas, fresh thyme and fresh tarragon. Place a large flat lid on top of the skillet and set aside.
Dump the flour-butter mixture onto a clean counter. Using a bench scraper, chop into the mixture until the butter is reduced to the size of peas. Sprinkle ice water over the mixture 1-2 tbsp at a time, then fold in with bench scraper. Once 8-10 tbsp of water is incorporated, and the flour is starting to form clumps, scrape the mixture together into a 4\" square pile, and start whacking it with a rolling pin, until it forms a 12x4\" rectangle. Fold in thirds and repeat. If the butter starts to feel soft, place a baking sheet (which you previously stored in the freezer) on top, then place ice packs or zip-top bags of ice on the sheet pan, for 5-6 minutes, until it firms up again.
After 4 repeats of the letter fold above, the last will be a book fold - fold both ends into the center, then fold in half at the resultant seam. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425\u00b0F.
Set 4 16-ounce souffle dishes or onion soup crocks on a baking sheet. Beat together egg wash and have standing by. Cut dough in half; roll one piece out to about 1/4\" thick, using bench flour as necessary to avoid sticking. Find a pot lid a little wider than your dishes and use it to trace out two circles from the dough; repeat with the other piece. Brush each disk with egg wash.
Fill dishes almost to the top with chicken mixture. Top each with a disk of dough, egg wash side down. Brush the exposed tops with more egg wash. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, then rotate pan 180\u00b0, lower heat to 400F and cook another 15-20 minutes until tops are deep brown and crispy. Cool on a rack 10-15 minutes before serving.