Chicken Pot Pie with Crumble Topping

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SERVES 6 TO 8 • TO PREP 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES • STORE UP TO 24 HOURS • TO FINISH 1 HOUR

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted a recipe for a casserole-size chicken pot pie that could be made a day ahead and go straight from fridge to oven. For a flavorful base that wouldn’t get muted in the fridge, we created a tasty sauce from the usual onions, carrots, and celery and added tomato paste and thyme to deepen the flavor. Gently simmering the chicken in this sauce gave the sauce savory flavor and kept the chicken juicy. We used chicken thighs here because the long cooking and cooling times tended to dry out lean chicken breasts. The topping for our make-ahead pot pie proved to be our biggest hurdle by far. Pie dough was hard to roll out large enough to fit our casserole dish. We tried rolling two crusts together to make this feat easier, but the crust browned unevenly and it never lost its soggy center. So to give our pot pie a hassle-free, crisp, buttery top, we swapped the pie dough for a crumble crust made with a quick, biscuitlike dough. It was a snap to prepare, and baking it on day one ensured that the savory crumble crust cooked through and stayed crisp when baked on top of the pot pie filling.

FILLING
1	tablespoon unsalted butter
2	onions, chopped fine
1	pound carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
2	celery ribs, sliced ¼ inch thick
	Salt and pepper
2	teaspoons tomato paste
2	teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
½	cup all-purpose flour
2½	cups chicken broth
3	pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
½	cup heavy cream
2	tablespoons dry sherry
1	cup frozen peas
¼	cup minced fresh parsley

CRUMBLE TOPPING
2	cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2	teaspoons baking powder
¾	teaspoon salt
½	teaspoon pepper
⅛	teaspoon cayenne pepper
6	tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
1	ounce Parmesan cheese, grated fine (½ cup)
¾	cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

TO PREP

1. FOR THE FILLING: Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and thyme and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

2. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Add chicken and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken registers 175 degrees and sauce has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks.

3. Stir heavy cream and sherry into sauce, then stir in shredded chicken along with any accumulated juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer filling to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Stir in peas and parsley.

4. FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING: While filling cools, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over flour mixture. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from ½ to ¾ inch each onto prepared sheet. Bake until crumbles are fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

TO STORE

5. Place crumble topping in zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal bag. Store topping at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

TO FINISH AND SERVE

6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap dish, sprinkle evenly with crumble topping, and place on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake casserole until hot throughout and bubbling around edges and topping is browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.