Chicken pan pie: a reduced chicken pot pie filling baked in a frying pan under a crimped butter crust

Melt a generous amount of butter over medium-high heat; add the diced onion and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring, a couple of minutes until the edges brown and the onion turns translucent.

Add the chicken thigh pieces and cook, stirring, a couple of minutes until they mostly lose their raw pink look; no need to brown.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, a couple of minutes to make a roux and take off the raw flour taste; sticking on the bottom is fine.

Pour in the chicken broth, which releases what stuck to the pan, and bring to a simmer on medium-high, stirring.

Once bubbling, add the carrots and celery.

Reduce, stirring, five to ten minutes until it thickens a lot (only a couple of minutes for a looser, traditional pot pie).

Turn off the heat; stir in the thawed peas, about a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, black pepper and a touch of cayenne. Distribute evenly and taste for salt.

Roll the butter crust dough into a circle an inch or two wider than the pan; trim the edge with a knife or pizza cutter.

Fold over about half an inch of dough all round, then crimp by pushing one finger into two from the other side for a scalloped edge.

Set the frying pan on a sheet pan; cut a small vent hole in the centre of the dough.

Lay the dough over the filling, centre it and press lightly so it touches the filling everywhere.

Optionally brush the top with an egg beaten with a couple of teaspoons of water.

Bake in the upper centre of a 425 degree oven about 40 minutes until the crust is browned and the filling bubbles; remove the sheet pan.

Leave a towel on the hot handle; rest about five minutes before cutting and serving.