Green Chile Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

A Rocky Mountain and country take on a classic comfort dish.

There are certain meals that belong in the category of food worth coming home for. Chicken pot pie is one of them.

This version takes the idea in a slightly more Western direction: tender chicken thighs, leeks, carrots, celery and peas simmered in a creamy herb sauce, with diced green chiles bringing just enough Colorado-New Mexico character to wake the whole thing up. Then comes the good part: a crown of buttery puff pastry that rises into a golden, bubbling crust.

It is the sort of dinner that works equally well after a long day outside or around a table with family and friends. No tiny portions. No foam. No architectural tweezers required.

The recipe is adapted from Cortney LaCorte’s Oversharing: Anytime Snacks, Everyday Dinners, and Cooking for Company, her cookbook centered on approachable food and making ordinary meals feel a little more special. 

Serves 6

THE INGREDIENTS

For the puff pastry

  • 1 (14-ounce) package puff pastry, thawed
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

For the chicken pot pie

  • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
  • 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium celery stalk, chopped
  • ½ cup diced roasted green chiles, mild or medium
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

THE METHOD

1. Get the pastry ready

Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Cut it into approximately 24 squares, about 2½ inches each.

Arrange the squares in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet, dusting away excess flour. Transfer to the freezer while you make the filling.

2. Prepare the chicken

Pat the chicken thighs dry and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Season with about 1½ teaspoons kosher salt and several generous grinds of black pepper.

3. Brown the chicken

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet. Add half of the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and browned in spots, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining chicken.

Do not clean the skillet. Those browned bits are dinner’s version of buried treasure.

4. Build the vegetables

Add the leeks, carrots, celery and green chiles to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5–6 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until incorporated. Cook for another minute.

5. Make the creamy sauce

Pour in the white wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 45 seconds.

Add the chicken broth and cream cheese. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese has melted into the sauce and everything has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes.

6. Bring it together

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet.

Add the peas, tarragon, thyme and lemon zest. Stir everything together and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the skillet from the heat.

7. Crown it with pastry

In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water.

Arrange the chilled puff-pastry squares over the chicken filling, overlapping them slightly so they form a rustic pastry lid.

Brush the pastry generously with the egg wash.

8. Bake

Place the skillet on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, until the puff pastry is dramatically puffed and golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.

Let it rest for 5–10 minutes, then scatter with a little additional fresh thyme.

Serve straight from the skillet.

THE SPORTING ROAD TWIST

The green chile is the small change that makes this feel at home in the West.  Use roasted Hatch-style green chiles if you can find them. Mild chiles keep the dish squarely in comfort-food territory; medium chiles give the creamy sauce a pleasant little kick.

And this is a particularly good place to use leftover roast chicken. In that case, skip browning the raw chicken and use about 4 cups cooked, shredded or chopped chicken. Sauté the vegetables in butter, continue with the flour, wine, broth and cream cheese, and fold in the cooked chicken and peas near the end.

A note on the original

This recipe is adapted from Cortney LaCorte’s Skillet Chicken Pot Pie in Oversharing: Anytime Snacks, Everyday Dinners, and Cooking for Company. LaCorte’s approach to cooking is very much about making an everyday meal feel like an occasion, without pretending dinner has to become a full-time occupation. Her cookbook was published by Union Square & Co. in September 2026.