The Holy Grail of projects—which is probably why frozen pot pies remain so popular. But this recipe busts that myth into flaky bits and puts homemade pot pie on the table in an hour with very little effort.

Makes: 4 servings
Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups milk, or more as needed

• 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups and 2 tablespoons flour, or more as needed

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt, or more as needed

• 1 ⁄ 3 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 1 ⁄ 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 celery stalk, chopped

• Pepper

• 1 cup peas (frozen are fine)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the milk in a sauce- pan and warm over medium heat until just steaming (or heat in the microwave in 10-second intervals until just above body temperature).

2. Put the 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix. Add the oil and 1 cup milk, and stir until the dough is just mixed; be careful not to overmix; lumps are fine. If it’s too dry and hasn’t come together, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time and stir. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir once. The dough should drop like biscuit batter from a spoon. Let the dough rest while you make the filling.

3. Put the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the chicken, onion, carrots, and celery; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4. Return the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook just until the flour turns golden. Slowly pour in the remaining 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the peas and remove from the heat; taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Drop the dough mixture onto the filling, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, until you use it all up (space the mounds of dough as evenly as you can, but don’t bother to spread them out). Bake until the mixture is bubbling and the crust is golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the top with salt and serve right away.

Recipe from Dinner for Everyone (Photo: Aya Brackett)

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