Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Mini chicken pot pies are a cozy comfort food that will use up your leftover chicken. Substitute leftover turkey and turn them into easy mini turkey pot pies instead. Delicious, kid friendly and easy to freeze!
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Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite all time comfort foods.
My husband and I make a trip to this restaurant about an hour away from our home most falls. It’s a country inn near an old fashioned shopping area that goes all out with their seasonal events so naturally I love it.
Anyway, each year when we go either in fall or the holiday season, I always order the chicken pot pie. It’s a bowl of coziness, hugs and love.
Perhaps even better yet, it is one of the foods I know my extremely picky daughter will eat. She loves this chicken pot pie soup and got involved in helping me make these by rolling out the crusts and scooping the filling in.
And because these little pot pie muffins are little and “cute” she was on board with trying these.
Side note: anything that’s smaller than a full sized version is cute to her. Fun size Snickers bar? Cute! Compact cars? Adorable! The nub of a pencil just barely big enough to hold? Squee! These pumpkin hand pies? AWWW! (Actually, I agree with her there.)
Not just for chicken! Use up leftover holiday turkey!
Full disclosure: I am not a leftover person unless it’s a leftover pasta bake or something like.
But I generally pass on all leftover chicken and turkey.
Which of course is a shame, especially after the holidays when we have a boatload of turkey leftover.
I stretch our leftover mashed potatoes every year with a homemade shepherd’s pie. This year I plan on stretching our turkey leftovers post Christmas with these mini pot pies.
Yes I am calling them mini chicken pot pies. You can use either chicken or turkey in this recipe and the result will be the same- little pies full of a delicious, savory filling that make eating your leftovers fun!
Ingredients and Supplies
To make these pot pie muffins you need:
- Refrigerated pie crusts– You can use homemade pie crust but taking the shortcut works just fine here. Soften them as directed on package.
- Butter– Use some of the butter to form the base of the sauce and some to brush on the pies before they go in the oven.
- Aromatics– Onion and garlic provide a lovely base of flavors.
- All-purpose flour– Will help thicken the sauce.
- Half and half– Makes the sauce. You could substitute milk but if you do choose a higher fat milk for the best results.
- Seasonings- Thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper
- Leftover chicken or turkey– Either chicken or turkey will work. Just chop it up into bite sized pieces.
- Frozen mixed vegetables– I used a blend with peas, carrots, corn and beans.
You need some basic kitchen supplies as well including:
- Muffin tins– Use standard size tins and not jumbo ones.
- A rolling pin
- Large nonstick skillet
- Garlic press
- A knife and cutting board
- Biscuit cutters
How to Make
- Prepare the crusts.
Roll out and cut the pie crust Preheat the oven to 375°F. While the oven preheats, unroll the pie crusts that you’ve let warm according to the package directions. On lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll the crust to a 13-inch diameter. Then, using a biscuit cutter or a cup cut 9 (5 inch) rounds total from the crust.
Push the crust rounds into the muffin tins so they look like empty flowers Gently press the cutouts floured-side-down in bottoms and up sides of 9 muffin cups you’ve sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Now, you can set them aside.
- Make the filling.
Saute the aromatics Once the crust is ready to go, in a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Sauté the onion and pressed garlic in the melted butter for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Now, stir in flour. Add the half and half, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the half and half, veggies and chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. When it thickens, stir in the chopped chicken or turkey and frozen mixed veggies.
This is how it looks when the mixture thickens - Assemble the mini pot pies.
Add the filling to the crust Fill each muffin cup with about 1/4 cup of the mixture, making sure not to over fill. Then, fold the crust over the filling. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Brush the exposed areas of the crust with melted butter.
Mini chicken pot pies - Bake.
Mini Chicken Pot Pies Bake at 375 until the filling is bubbly and the crusts are golden, between 20 and 25 minutes. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover mini pot pies in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to reheat, place them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 300 degree oven until warmed through. You could also reheat them in the microwave by placing them on a microwave safe dish and microwaving until warm. However, I recommend reheating in the oven for best results since the microwave tends to change the texture of the crust.
Can you freeze mini pot pies?
Yes! These are a perfect make ahead freezer meal.
To make them ahead and freeze follow the steps listed above but do not bake the pies. Instead, keep the unbaked pies in the muffin tins and wrap them tightly in foil. Let them freeze completely, 2-4 hours. When they are frozen, remove the pies from the muffin tins and wrap them each separately in plastic. Then put the wrapped and frozen pies in large resealable freezer plastic bag.
Baking Frozen Pot Pie Muffins
When you are ready to bake them, start by preheating the oven to 375°F. Take out the desired number of frozen pies from the bag and unwrap them from the plastic.
Place the frozen pies in sprayed muffin tins and cover them loosely with foil. Then bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the foil and continue baking them until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly for another 20-25 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
- Vegetarian or just don’t like poultry? Double the amount of veggies and omit the meat.
- The filling should be thick but still a touch liquidy. If it gets too thick, add a little more half and half or a splash of chicken stock.
- Looking to save time? Buy prediced onions in your grocery store.
- For best results, don’t substitute the half and half with milk unless you plan to use whole milk. Lower fat milks won’t create as rich of a filling.
- Feel free to switch your veggies up based on what you like. Diced mushrooms or even cubed butternut squash would be fantastic in this for an extra shot of veggies.
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Ingredients
- 1 box refrigerated pie crusts softened as directed on package
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves pressed
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey chopped
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Unroll the pie crusts. On lightly floured surface, roll or press each crust to 13-inch diameter. Cut 9 (5 inch) rounds total from the crust. Gently press rounds floured-side-down in bottoms and up sides of 9 muffin cups you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Set them aside.
- In medium to large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Saute the onion and pressed garlic in the melted butter for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft. Stir in flour. Add the half and half, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Stir in the chopped chicken or turkey and frozen mixed veggies. Remove from heat.
- Fill each muffin cup with about 1/4 cup of the mixture. Fold and crimp pie crust over filling, leaving the centers of the pies open. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Brush the exposed areas of the crust with melted butter.
- Bake at 375 until the filling is bubbly and the crusts are golden, between 20 and 25 minutes. Enjoy!
