Creamy Chicken and Carrots

Nora at seven months is mobile and opinionated and has started pulling to standing against the coffee table with the same determined expression Liam had at the same stage. She and Liam are beginning to actually play together—not just parallel, not just Liam narrating at her, but actual exchange. They sit on the floor and Liam puts a toy between them and she reaches for it and he lets her have it or redirects it and she reacts and they negotiate. The negotiation is wordless from her side but it has a grammar. They're learning each other's grammar.

Fall in the kitchen: the season in full argument now, beef stew on Sunday, apple everything, squash appearing in every meal. I've been making a big pot of something at the start of every week since September started and it carries through—Tuesday from Sunday, Thursday from Sunday, something still left on Saturday morning for the pancake side. Sean has started timing the pancakes to make use of whatever's left from the week, putting leftover vegetables from Friday's dinner in scrambled eggs on Saturday mornings as the side dish. I didn't teach him this. He figured it out. I find this—the organic development of his kitchen economy—deeply satisfying in a way I can't entirely justify except that it means the household is running the way I hoped it would run.

Made a chicken pot pie on Saturday evening because October is three weeks away and pot pie is October's answer to the question of what to eat when it's cold and dark at six PM and you want something that holds you. The pastry came out right. Liam ate the pastry first, which is factually the correct approach. I support it.

The pot pie on Saturday was its own thing—pastry and all—but the feeling it gave us, that held-together warmth on a darkening October-almost evening, is what I keep coming back to during the week. This creamy chicken and carrots is how I chase that feeling on a Tuesday when there’s no time for pastry and the week is already running; it has the same deep, carrying quality, the vegetables soft and savory in a cream sauce that makes the whole house smell like exactly what it should smell like at six PM in fall.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Sear the chicken. In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook without moving for 3–4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; the chicken does not need to be cooked through yet.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter to the same pan. Once melted, add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the sauce base. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to coat, cooking for 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously to prevent lumps.
Add carrots and cream. Stir in the heavy cream, thyme, and rosemary. Add the sliced carrots and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Return the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken pieces back into the pan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice, and finish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamy Chicken and Carrots — The Pot Pie Spirit in a Simpler Bowl