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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Tuscan Slow Cooked Braised Beef in Wine Sauce
Savory Herb Roasted Whole Chicken
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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!
Asmita (@FoodieAsmita) says
Love these individual portions. This looks crazy good!
GourmetGetaways (@GourmetGetaway) says
Oh so YUM! Your pastry looks so buttery and delicious and the filling just the ultimate comfort food. I know this would be a winner with MR GG. Good on you for raising awareness of the plight of those who are unable to feed themselves. It is so unjust, when we waste so much.
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I love making mini chicken pot pies! I usually make mine in ramekins but I love how you used mini cheesecake tins. These look so so delicious...now I'm craving chicken pot pie. 🙂
Mary Frances says
Cute! These look so hearty and comforting!
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
Oh my gosh! I wish I could smell and taste those pies! They look wonderful, Bam!
Eva Taylor says
I usually don't love meat pies BAM but yours have definitely made ma lick my lips, they are so beautiful and tasty looking. The pastry is gorgeous too. I can just imagine how wonderful your house smelled.
Daniela says
Looking at the beautiful pictures and reading your description made me so hungry for these cute chicken pies!
It's fantastic that you get involved in such an important charity project, Pam.
There is so much need everywhere and projects like this do make a difference!
dedy oktavianus pardede says
Sice it personal portion, think i would glad if you sharing one for my lunch box Bam....
Karen says
Your mini pot pies would be great for a baby or wedding shower…especially with your cute heart cutout.
Raymund says
Buttery crust, chicken in gravy that caught my attention. Look how delicious those are
ashley says
What a great idea to make these in mini cheesecake pans!! Brilliant!
ChopinandMysaucepan says
Dear BAM,
Apart from steak and mushroom, a chicken pie like this is my absolute favourite. And I'm a fan of pastry for the entire pie and not just on the top.
ChgoJohn says
Buongiorno, BAM! I so enjoy pot pies! They remind me of lunch at home with Mom. Although many today don't place crust on the bottom, I much prefer them with a bottom crust. It becomes so flavorful as the gravy soaks into it. I think it great what your doing to help the hungry in Hong Kong. In a time where so many go to bed hungry it's unconscionable that so much good food is allowed to go to waste. With natural resources dwindling, we cannot keep this up forever.
Katerina says
Oh how much i would wish to live next door to you! I would shamelessly ask for on such little pot!
ohlidia says
Love these little pies Bam. They're gorgeous! And that crust… I think I'll be making these tonight! xoxo