diff --git a/encodings/datetime-parts/src/compress.rs b/encodings/datetime-parts/src/compress.rs
index 541754b0d6..d06b4c7b7e 100644
--- a/encodings/datetime-parts/src/compress.rs
+++ b/encodings/datetime-parts/src/compress.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@ use vortex_error::{vortex_bail, VortexResult};
 /// Splitting the components by granularity creates more small values, which enables better
 /// cascading compression.
 pub fn compress_temporal(array: TemporalArray) -> VortexResult<(Array, Array, Array)> {
-    let timestamps = try_cast(&array.temporal_values(), PType::I64.into())?.into_primitive()?;
+    // After this operation, timestamps will be PrimitiveArray<i64>
+    let timestamps = try_cast(
+        &array.temporal_values().into_primitive()?.into_array(),
+        PType::I64.into(),
+    )?;
     let divisor = match array.temporal_metadata().time_unit() {
         TimeUnit::Ns => 1_000_000_000,
         TimeUnit::Us => 1_000_000,
@@ -24,14 +28,14 @@ pub fn compress_temporal(array: TemporalArray) -> VortexResult<(Array, Array, Ar
     let mut seconds = Vec::with_capacity(length);
     let mut subsecond = Vec::with_capacity(length);
 
-    for &t in timestamps.maybe_null_slice::<i64>().iter() {
+    for &t in timestamps.as_primitive().maybe_null_slice::<i64>().iter() {
         days.push(t / (86_400 * divisor));
         seconds.push((t % (86_400 * divisor)) / divisor);
         subsecond.push((t % (86_400 * divisor)) % divisor);
     }
 
     Ok((
-        PrimitiveArray::from_vec(days, timestamps.validity()).into_array(),
+        PrimitiveArray::from_vec(days, timestamps.as_primitive().validity()).into_array(),
         PrimitiveArray::from(seconds).into_array(),
         PrimitiveArray::from(subsecond).into_array(),
     ))
diff --git a/vortex-array/src/array/chunked/canonical.rs b/vortex-array/src/array/chunked/canonical.rs
index 778a33f61e..2532077e7d 100644
--- a/vortex-array/src/array/chunked/canonical.rs
+++ b/vortex-array/src/array/chunked/canonical.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ pub(crate) fn try_canonicalize_chunks(
     chunks: Vec<Array>,
     dtype: &DType,
 ) -> VortexResult<Canonical> {
+    if chunks.is_empty() {
+        vortex_bail!(InvalidArgument: "chunks must be non-empty")
+    }
+
     let mismatched = chunks
         .iter()
         .filter(|chunk| !chunk.dtype().eq(dtype))
@@ -44,15 +48,47 @@ pub(crate) fn try_canonicalize_chunks(
             Ok(Canonical::Struct(struct_array))
         }
 
-        // Extension arrays wrap an internal storage array, which can hold a ChunkedArray until
-        // it is safe to unpack them.
+        // Extension arrays are containers that wraps an inner storage array with some metadata.
+        // We delegate to the canonical format of the internal storage array for every chunk, and
+        // push the chunking down into the inner storage array.
+        //
+        //  Input:
+        //  ------
+        //
+        //                  ChunkedArray
+        //                 /            \
+        //                /              \
+        //         ExtensionArray     ExtensionArray
+        //             |                   |
+        //          storage             storage
+        //
+        //
+        //  Output:
+        //  ------
+        //
+        //                 ExtensionArray
+        //                      |
+        //                 ChunkedArray
+        //                /             \
+        //          storage             storage
+        //
         DType::Extension(ext_dtype, _) => {
-            let ext_array = ExtensionArray::new(
+            // Recursively apply canonicalization and packing to the storage array backing
+            // each chunk of the extension array.
+            let storage_chunks: Vec<Array> = chunks
+                .iter()
+                // Extension-typed arrays can be compressed into something that is not an
+                // ExtensionArray, so we should canonicalize each chunk into ExtensionArray first.
+                .map(|chunk| chunk.clone().into_extension().unwrap().storage())
+                .collect();
+            let storage_dtype = storage_chunks.first().unwrap().dtype().clone();
+            let chunked_storage =
+                ChunkedArray::try_new(storage_chunks, storage_dtype)?.into_array();
+
+            Ok(Canonical::Extension(ExtensionArray::new(
                 ext_dtype.clone(),
-                ChunkedArray::try_new(chunks, dtype.clone())?.into_array(),
-            );
-
-            Ok(Canonical::Extension(ext_array))
+                chunked_storage,
+            )))
         }
 
         // TODO(aduffy): better list support