Ingredients

• Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for your countertop
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter
  • Cold water, as needed

  Filling

  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 rib of celery
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
  • 1 cup baby peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon fresh
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Making the Crust

• Measure the flour into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the salt with a fork or pastry cutter.

  Cut the cold butter into pieces, and add it to the flour. Cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter -- or pulse it in your food processor -- until the butter is in pieces the size of baby peas.

  Spoon cold water into the bowl, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough barely comes together. This might take as little as 3 tablespoons or as many as 5.

  Shape the dough into a rough circle, wrap it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Making the Filling

• Chop the onion, celery and carrot, until the pieces are smaller than 1/4 inch. Transfer them to a saucepan or large skillet, and add the butter.

  Cook the vegetables for approximately 5 minutes over moderate heat, until they're aromatic and the onions have begun to soften.

  Stir in the 2 tablespoons of flour. Once it has absorbed the butter, add the chicken broth and cream. Stir gently for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.

  Add the shredded chicken, baby peas and thyme. Taste the mixture, and season it as needed with salt and pepper. The amount will vary, depending how heavily seasoned your chicken and broth were.

Finishing the Pie

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  Ladle the finished filling into a deep 9- or 10-inch pie plate.

  Dust the countertop with flour, and remove the chilled crust from your refrigerator. Roll it into a circle large enough to overlap the pie plate by an inch or so.

  Transfer the crust to the pie plate, centering it so the dough overlaps to the same extent on each side. Roll the excess dough to the edge of the pie plate, and crimp it there to seal the pie and make an attractive edge.

  Cut two or three slashes in the pie's crust, to vent steam as it bakes. Slide it into the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is well browned.

  Let the pie rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. This minimizes the risk of burning your mouth, and gives the filling time to cool and thicken slightly.

Theme and Variations

• You can prepare the crust and filling ahead of time, and assemble the pie straight from the refrigerator. This adds roughly 10 minutes to the baking time.

  If you belong to the two-crust camp, double the pastry recipe and line the bottom of the pan with half of the crust before adding the filling. Always chill the filling before making a two-crust pie, otherwise the hot filling will turn your lower crust to mush before it has a chance to bake properly.

  Feel free to alter the vegetables in the filling. If you like potatoes or broccoli or green beans in your pie, go ahead and add them.

  This is a "full-comfort" take on pot pie. You can swap out the butter for oil, and replace the cream with more chicken broth, for a more virtuous version.

  You can use any kind of boneless cooked chicken in your pie. Leftover roasted or stewed chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even fried chicken with the skin and bones removed are all perfectly good alternatives. If you have leftover vegetables or gravy from the same meal, incorporate those into your pie as well.

  The same basic recipe works equally well with turkey.

  Before cooking with leftovers, take a moment to review the USDA's guidelines for keeping them food safe.