Hearty mini chicken pot pies packed with tender chicken, vegetables, potatoes, and a rich homemade gravy wrapped up in a buttery crust is on the menu today.
Mini Chicken Pot Pies for the win!
We have four hearty delicious mini chicken pot pies in my oven. Our whole house smells wonderful, buttery and delicious and I wish you could be here. Wouldn't it be fabulous if there was some way we could invent scratch and sniff computer screens? These chicken pot pies are making us hungry. Stomach is rumbling...
We just looked though our oven door window and we can see our chicken gravy bubbling though the little hand cut heart vents on the top of the pies. The mini chicken pot pies' crust are golden brown and perfect. Check out that flaky crust!
We made these mini chicken pot pies in some little mini cheesecake tins. Brilliant, I tell you. They pop right out as a whole mini pie without any problem at all. We made both a bottom and top crust as I wanted to fill up the hungry crew. As a matter of fact, the boys will be home very soon so that means getting some quick photos before the food vanishes.
Hearty mini chicken pot pies are packed with tender chicken, vegetables, potatoes, and a rich homemade gravy wrapped up in a buttery crust is just the perfect solution for comfort food on a cold day.
Right now, you may be asking yourself, "WHAT"shall I eat for dinner tonight?
However, there are many people around the world that wonder "IF" they will be able to eat anything at all.
1 out of 7 people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
In Hong Kong, 1 out 5 people live in poverty and don't know where their next meal will come from. In addition, the weather is getting cold in Hong Kong and people have no place to go to stay warm.
Our heartfelt thoughts are going out to those in need. If we could just make about 10 more of these delicious hearty mini chicken pot pies and start passing them out to the hungry souls, then at least they could have a hearty warm meal for tonight. However, that is not a very good long-term help plan. We started searching the internet for groups or soup kitchens in Hong Kong to see if I could lend a helping hand on a larger scale.
If you live in Hong Kong, there is something that you can do to help the community. There is a dynamic group called Feeding Hong Kong. The mission of this group is to feed people in Hong Kong who would otherwise go hungry. They simply gather the still edible food from supermarkets and restaurants and feed those that cannot afford to feed themselves.
Over 3,200 tonnes of still edible food from Hong Kong's restaurants and supermarkets will be thrown in the dumpster each and every day. Feeding Hong Kong Team breaks this cycle and feeds the people instead of the over filling landfills. The Feeding Hong Kong Team needs volunteers and donations to make this work. Here is the link to find out how to get involved.
These mini chicken pot pies are perfect for warm weather and you can use up all the little bits and bobs in your refrigerator.
This mini chicken pot pie recipe has all kind of potential for adaptation. You can use any vegetables you have in your refrigerator or freezer or add more potatoes if you do not have enough chicken to fill the pies. I know it looks like it is a long list of ingredients. However, if you look real closely, many of those spices listed are repeated as I like to season along the way as this really helps the flavours bloom in this recipe.
This pie crust is so easy and flaky that you will never be buying one of those pre-made expensive store-bought ones again. If you have access to a food processor, this dough comes together so fast and can be rolled out in about 5 minutes flat.
We also saved little by making our own homemade gravy. We started out by making a little easy roux, almond milk (as that is what we have on hand) and some seasonings and herbs and this really what makes this recipe stand out from the rest.
Sending warm thoughts your way.
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Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetable Mixture
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 carrots
peeled and diced - 1 cup potatoes
peeled and chopped (or about 2 large potatoes) - ½ cup onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
peeled and minced - 4 cups chicken breasts
chopped into small cubes (You can also use dark meat, white meat, left overs from a previous chicken meal) - salt and black pepper
to taste - 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
- ½ ts[ paprika
- ½ cup white wine
Homemade gravy
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour (I used quinoa flour as that is what I had on hand and it gave it a lovely nutty flavour but you can use any flour you have in your pantry)
- ¾-1 cup milk
(I used almond milk as that is what I had on hand but feel free to use whatever kind of milk you have on hand) - salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon herbs de Provence
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Pie Crust
- 3 cups flour
(and a little extra for rolling out the dough) - ½ cup butter
cold - ⅕ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon ice water
- 1 egg - 1 beaten egg beaten (to brush on the crust to make it brown and glossy)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 F).
- Make the Chicken and Vegetable Mixture-part 1: In a medium pot, cook onions, potatoes, celery and carrots in a little of olive oil until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender (about 5-7 minutes) Add garlic and season with salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables out of the pot and keep warm.
- Make the Chicken and Vegetable Mixture-part 2 Add a little more olive oil in the pan and add chicken sauté until the chicken is no longer pink. Salt and pepper to taste, add paprika and herbs de Provence. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the vegetables back to the chicken and turn the burner down to low or off while you make the roux.
- Make the Chicken Gravy: Place equal amounts of butter and flour into a sauce pan. Stir continuously and allow the flour taste to cook off about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk a little bit at a time while writing the roux with a whisk. Stir and add milk until it is the consistency of a creamy soup. Season with salt and pepper, paprika, herbs de Provence and nutmeg to taste. Add the roux mixture to the chicken and vegetable mixture and stir until well incorporated. Turn the burner off and keep chicken mixture warm.
- Make the Pie Crust: If you have a food processor, this step is a breeze. Place your very cold butter, salt and flour in the processor and pulse until it it makes little granules. (If you have a small food processor like I do, you might have to make the crust in 2 batches as it will not all fit into the mini food processors) Add your super cold water to the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Depending on your humidity level, you may need a little less or a little water so just add a little bit at a time and stop once your dough forms a ball. If you do not have a food processor you will have to do this step by hand. (There is no need to let the dough rest, you can begin working with it right away. This dough is really easy to work with.)
- Assembly- Cut the dough into 8 sections (if making 4 mini chicken pot pies- I used 4 mini cheesecake tins and these worked brilliantly or your could use medium ramikens) or 2 sections (if making one large chicken pot pie). Place a little flour on your clean and dry surface and roll out the dough in a round disks to fit the size of your pie tins with about a 1 inch overlap. Spray your pie tins with a little cooking spray and place the bottom crust flat on the bottom of pie plate and allow 1 inch to hang over the edges.
- Put the chicken,vegetable and gravy mixture on top of the bottom crust of your pie plates/plate. If you have mini pie plates, divide the chicken, vegetable and gravy mixture evenly amongst the 4 pie tins. If using just one large pie plate, place all the chicken, vegetable and gravy mixture inside the one pie plate. Cover the chicken pot pies with top crust and pinch edges over and use a curved edge or even just use a fork to pinch edges close for a simple design. Next, make vent holes with a knife or even a cute little heart on top to allow the steam to escape. Bush tops of mini chicken pot pies with beaten egg. Bake in oven for about 1 hour. The crust should be golden brown and the chicken gravy should be bubbling.
- Allow mini chicken pot pies to cool for 5-10 minutes, if you can wait that long. Remove the mini chicken pot pies from the cheesecake tins (if using cheesecake tins) Serve hot with a nice tossed salad. Enjoy!
hotlyspiced says
It's lunch time and I'm starving. I would love one of these pot pies. Chicken pies are my favourite. I love how you decorated the pies with the pretty pastry and the little cut-out xx
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I love chicken pot pie however i can get it. I even love the ones that come out of a box. People always need to be reminded about those in need. What a good thing you are doing. Hope you can see some results!
{Main St. Cuisine} says
Your reminder of how many people are walking around hungry and with little or no resources to feed themselves is an ongoing problem in so many communities. It's nice to hear that there is a well-organized group in Hong Kong making such a positive change in that regard.
Baking your beautiful savory pies in individual tins is indeed brilliant! I love the heart cut outs too...very magazine-worthy. Thank you for sharing, Bam!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
It's wonderful that you are trying to reduce the waste in your kitchen -- it's really unfortunate the amount of food that gets thrown away, especially with so many hungry people.... Your pot pies look awesome! I love that each person gets their own - so fun!
Kristi @ My San Francisco Kitchen says
These are so adorable, Bam!!
Gintare @Gourmantine says
Oh, they look wonderful. Nothing better than a crunchy crust and creamy filling under!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
These chicken pot pies look gorgeous and you are right- it is brilliant to cook them in mini cheesecake pans. I will definitely have to try that. Food waste is something we all need to think about and find solutions for. Love meals like this one that you can throw all kinds of ingredients into. 🙂
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
It's shocking how many people go hungry when there is such an abundance of food in our big cities and towns. It's shocking to see what gets thrown out. My boyfriend (back in high school) worked at Safeway and he used to have the job of throwing out stale dated food. He said there was a woman who would pull food out as he threw it in so he started just handing it to her for dignity's sake. I love your recipe, I'd love to have those little tins, that is brilliant! xx
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Smidge, It is shocking to see the waste of food in cities. Especially after the Chinese New Years, there has been an excess of purchases not only by restaurants but also markets in anticipation of the crowds. This year so many people left HK to either go back home to China or go on holiday so I know there was a huge waste of food. It is such a pity. I hope that at least part of that went to the needy here in HK. I am glad that your high school sweet heart had a little heart for the little lady in need.
shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
WOW - these mini pot pies look totally delicious!
dianeskitchentable says
That chicken pot pie not only looks great but it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.
It sounds like the Feeding Hong Kong group has found an easy & practical solution to make a dent in the hunger problem. Isn't it a shame at all the food that goes to waste from restaurants and markets? I was horrified last year after we'd had a long power outage to go into the market & see them taking EVERY perishable item & just tossing it all in dumpsters. That was even things that had been frozen but could have been cooked up. I asked them why they didn't donate it to food kitchens or shelters and they said that it was illegal! Can you imagine? Since then I understand that this particular store has connected with a group who will come with a refrigerated truck as soon as the power is out for a few hours (I think that's their time limit) and they take everything they can over to a local shelter.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Diane. I know the stores have strict regulations to keep food safe. In US, very strict guidelines on this and if stores don't follow these guidelines they can have their store licenses taken away. I think it is time for the governing body to reevaluate this current protocol and find a better solution. Take care
Norma Chang says
One of your pie, since they are mini, make that 2 please, would be so comforting right this moment. Love your heart shape cut out.
I too want to thank you for reminding us how fortunate we are.
bentodays says
This looks delicious! I always love how you used up the bits and bobs in your pantry. Thank you for the reminder on how fortunate we all are.
Beth says
Your pot pies look amazing. I'm sure the boys appreciated them! Thanks for reminding me how fortunate I am not to worry about what I'm eating next - and to share that gratitude with those who don't share that security.
lapetitecasserole says
I really wish I could be there, even just for the smell... I'm sure they were amazing!
Robyn says
Oh, I love chicken pot pie! I'm quite certain it is the best and most popular comfort food on the planet. These are beautiful, BAM! The crust so lovely and golden and all that healthy goodness inside! Perfection!