At Good Girl Dinette, a charming spot in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park, “American Diner Meets Vietnamese Comfort Food.” While The Astronomer and I are tremendous fans of most everything on the menu, from the blistered imperial rolls to the deeply caramelized pork confit, it’s the restaurant’s signature chicken curry pot pie that we find impossible to resist every time we swing in for dinner.

Each pot pie is baked to order, ensuring that the buttermilk biscuit topping is perfectly flaky, while the fish sauce-laced curry bubbles just beneath. There’s something about the way the buttery crust melds with the spice-laden stew that satisfies and surprises with each bite.

Not everyone is lucky enough to live a short drive away from The Dinette, and Chef Diep Tran’s pot pie is much too delicious to be reserved for locals only. Thankfully, those who reside outside the Southland can reproduce the dish at home with the help of this spot-on recipe that first appeared in the New York Times article “Based on an Old Family Recipe.” I’ve had it bookmarked for ages and finally got around to executing last week when the holiday rush died down.

The original recipe makes five hearty individual servings, just like in the restaurant. However, I made two larger pot pies using 10-inch round quiche dishes since I don’t own any gratin dishes. Also, I used chicken legs in place of the thighs because that was the only cut my market had in stock. Even with these minor tweaks, the results were most satisfactory.

For buttermilk biscuits

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 11 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For chicken curry

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1/4 cup Madras curry powder
• 2 lemon grass stalks, tops trimmed, bases halved lengthwise and smashed
• 3 white onions, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup fish sauce
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 3 large Yukon Gold or baking potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk

Make buttermilk biscuits

Have ready five 24-ounce oval (or 2 10-inch round quiche dishes) gratin dishes.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder to combine. Transfer 1 cup of the dry ingredients to a food processor, and sprinkle with the cubes of butter. Pulse 5 to 7 times until the butter pieces are pea-size. Transfer to the bowl with the remaining dry ingredients, and stir to distribute the butter evenly.

Make several depressions in the flour mixture with your fingers; add the buttermilk a little at a time, mixing with your fingers, until it is all incorporated. Gently work the dough just until it comes together. Cover lightly, refrigerate 1 hour.

Note: Don’t sweat it if your dough looks a bit hairy and craggy. Chef Diep Tran assured me that the uglier the dough, the tastier the results. She was right, of course.

Make chicken curry

Warm the oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken thighs, curry powder and lemon grass. Cook, stirring, until the thighs are seared on all sides and the curry powder is chestnut brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and 1/2 cup fish sauce, and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, for 15 minutes.

Add the carrots and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard the lemongrass. Add the potatoes and coconut milk to the pan, and bring to a simmer.

Pull meat from chicken thighs in bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the curry and continue to cook, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 more minutes. Taste sauce and, if needed (fish sauces vary in saltiness), season with up to 1/4 cup additional fish sauce.

Assemble chicken curry pot pie

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Divide the biscuit dough into five portions (or 2 if using 10-inch round quiche dishes). On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each portion so it will cover the top of a gratin dish to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Distribute the chicken curry among the 5 dishes and top each with dough. Bake until the biscuits are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Good Girl Dinette [For Printable Recipe Click Here]

One year ago: Bún Riêu Cua – Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Soup
Two years ago: Oyster Bar – Las Vegas (Palace Station)
Three years ago: Frank Stitt’s Creamy Grits
Four years ago: Bánh Mì & Chè Cali – San Gabriel
Five years ago: Zenbu – La Jolla
Six years ago: Cunetto House of Pasta – St. Louis