Layered Chicken Pot Pie, Red Gravy
A Southern Classic, relayered with a light cajun touch
Traditional chicken pot pie leans heavily on cream and butter. This version keeps the comfort but lightens the structure. Cajun red gravy built from the Southern trinity replaces cream, and the filling is layered with roasted chicken and thin ribbons of zucchini before being crowned with golden puff pastry.
The result is a dish that feels familiar, but lighter and more architectural on the plate.
Cajun Red Gravy
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp cayenne (adjust to taste)
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Chicken Layer
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper
Zucchini Layer
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into thin ribbons (⅛ inch thick)
Top
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
1 egg
1 tbsp water
Ingredients
Roast the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper at 375°F for 20 minutes until just cooked through. Cool slightly and slice thinly in strips.
Cut the puff pastries (2) into eight circles traced from the ramekin or in a casserole use the entire sheets. Bake one sheet or four of the circles at 375 °F for up to 20 minutes as this will be the bottom crust.
Make the Cajun Red Gravy
In a skillet or saucepan on medium heat: add onion, peppers and celery for 8 mins until softened.
Add minced garlic and tomate paste and sauce.
Cook for 10 minutes and then add: crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, paprika, cayenne, thyme and worcestirshire then simmer for 15 minutes. The sauce should coat a spoon but still be pourable.
Prepare the Zucchini
Slice Zucchini longways into thin ribbons
lightly salt and let sit for 10 minutes and pat dry
Assemble the layers in four ramekins or a 9×9 casserole dish: thin layer red gravy, chicken slices and zucchini ribbons. Repeat.
Add puff pastry on top, either each ramekin or the casserole dish with an half egg / half water egg wash.
Cut one of the puff pastries using the shape of the ramekin as the “cookie cuter” and trace around with no edges overlapping the ramekin. For a casserole, just layer the puff pastry.
Bake at 400° for 30 minutes until golden and crisp. Let rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the layers to set.
Method