Heat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. The prepared dish helps the almond flour crust release more cleanly after baking.

Combine the almond flour, 6 tablespoons of softened butter, egg, and salt in a large bowl, then mix until the dough starts coming together before stirring in the shredded cheese. The finished dough should look evenly moistened and hold when pressed, not appear dry and loose.

Split the dough into two portions and spray four pieces of parchment paper with cooking spray, then roll each portion between two sheets into a circle large enough for the pie plate. This parchment method keeps the dough from sticking and cracking while you roll it.

Transfer both rolled rounds to the refrigerator for about 5 to 10 minutes. A short chill firms the butter and makes the dough easier to flip without tearing.

Peel the top parchment off one chilled round, invert it into the pie plate, remove the second sheet, and press the dough into place. If the dough softens too much while you work, it will start to slump and stick instead of holding its shape.

Par-bake the bottom crust for 6 to 8 minutes, then remove it from the oven. The crust should look set and lightly dry on the surface, not deeply browned.

Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the celery and onion, and cook for 5 minutes. The vegetables should soften and smell sweet and savory, with no raw onion bite left.

Pour in the chicken broth, add the softened cream cheese and heavy cream, and whisk over medium heat until smooth. The mixture should look creamy and unified, with no obvious bits of cream cheese floating around.

Season the sauce with garlic powder, poultry seasoning, celery seed, 1 teaspoon fine pink Himilayan salt or regular salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. You should smell a classic pot pie aroma at this stage, rich and a little herby.

Lower the heat and sprinkle in the 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum while whisking quickly. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon like gravy rather than drip like soup.

Add the shredded rotisserie chicken and frozen peas and carrots, then stir until everything is well coated. The filling should look creamy and full, with the chicken suspended in the sauce instead of sitting in liquid.

Let the filling cool for 5 minutes before spooning it into the par-baked crust. This brief rest cuts down on trapped steam, which helps prevent the top crust from turning gummy underneath.

Place the second crust round over the filling, press the top and bottom edges together, and crimp if you like. The dough should seal neatly around the edge without stretching thin in the center.

Bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes, covering the edges halfway through with a pie shield or foil if they darken too fast. The pie is ready when the crust is brown and the filling is visibly bubbling around the edges.

Cool the pie for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. The crust will set a bit more and the filling will thicken slightly, making cleaner slices much easier.