Prepare your Taste Buds
When Gordon and I were first married I bought some Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pies and I was inspired to create a recipe of my own for Individual Chicken Pot Pies. Eighteen years later and as soon as the weather begins to turn cold, I begin to crave this comforting classic for dinner.
The filling in this recipe can easily be made into one large pot pie or served individually, but the latter is my preferred way to prepare them. I only add pastry to the tops of the pies and each still has a sufficient amount of pastry (arguably my favorite part)! They can be made with a homemade pie crust, store-bought pie crust or puff pastry, whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong. Give this comforting classic a try!
Handy Hints for Individual Pot Pies
•For Individual Chicken Pot Pies any oven-safe bowls will work. I have also used these Aluminum Foil Small Pie Pans and these Ceramic Mini Pie Pans look pretty if you are hosting dinner guests.
•For homemade pie crust: I recommend the Best Ever Pie Crust Recipe, omit the sugar and substitute the Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks.
•You can also blind bake the puff pastry: simply cut the sheets into small squares and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes. If using this method: cook the filling in step #3 for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Then, add in the heavy cream, peas and parsley and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve with baked pieces of puff pastry for dipping.
•To make ahead: The pot pies can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Completely assemble the pot pie, place on a baking sheet and cover the tray of pot pies with plastic wrap. When you are ready to bake, cut the slits into the top of each pot pie and brush with egg wash.
•To make ahead & freeze just the filling, prepare through step 3, but leave out the heavy cream and peas. Freeze in a storage container with a tight fitting lid or a Freezer Ziplock Storage bag. One day ahead of serving, defrost the filling overnight in the refrigerator. Once defrosted, stir in the heavy cream, peas and portion into bowls. Top with pastry of choice and bake as directed.
PrintIndividual Chicken Pot Pies
Hearty and delicious, chicken pot pie is the ultimate winter comfort food.
- Yield: 6 Individual Pot Pies 1x
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
Pot Pie Filling:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced small (enough to equal 2 cups)
- 2 cups carrots, diced medium
- 2 cups celery, diced medium
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 4–6 cups chicken stock, low sodium
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried )
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (more to taste )
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded (I only use the chicken breast meat)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Pastry of Choice:
- 1 pkg puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 recipe Best Ever Pie Crust
Egg Wash:
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Once butter has melted, add in onions, carrots and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.
- With heat set to medium, sprinkle the flour mixture over the cooked vegetables, stirring constantly cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add in the chicken broth, one half cup at a time, stirring the mixture constantly after each addition to prevent lumps of flour.
- Once all the broth has been added, add in thyme, bay leaf, bouillon, salt, pepper and simmer over low heat, until the veggies continue to soften and the mixture is thickened about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Stir in heavy cream, chicken, peas and parsley. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper if needed. If using fresh thyme sprigs, remove the stems and the bay leaf and discard. Spoon the pot pie mixture into individual pie dishes or one large pie dish.
- Roll out the Best Ever Pie Dough or unfold the puff pastry sheets, cut into circles to fit your bowls and either crimp the edges or allow any extra dough to hang over the sides.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment set individual pot pies on the pan. Cut a few slits in the tops of each pie to allow steam to escape.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water until combined. Brush the egg wash on the tops of each pie.
- Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
•If using the Best Ever Pie Crust recipe, it will be enough to cover six individual pot pies in the ceramic or aluminum containers that I have linked in the blog.
•I like my pot pies to have more of gravy like consistency, so I typically use closer 5-6 cups of the chicken broth. If you like your filling to be on the thicker side, I recommend starting with the 4 cups and adding the additional 1-2 cups as needed. You can also add more shredded chicken and peas to the filling, if desired.
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