Mini Chicken Pot Pies
November 14, 2023
These Mini Chicken Pot Pies have a filling of corn kernels, carrots, leeks and thyme enveloped in a smooth chicken veloute. The perfect individual-sized delight, making it easy and fun for kids to dig into their very own mini pot pie.
These Mini Chicken Pot Pies are a great way to use your chicken or turkey leftovers; plus, there is no need for a complex pie. Simply cover the filled ramequin or small casserole with a pre-made brisé dough, and voila! A simple yet irresistible mini pot pie. The filling is made with lovely carrots, leeks, corn and aromatic thyme and enveloped in a smooth chicken velouté for an unbeatable, savoury and comfy meal! The kids will love digging in there!
Origin of Pot Pie
Believe it or not, Pot Pie dates back to Ancient Greece; it was a half pie back in the day. It just had a bottom dough with a filling on top called Artocreas. Then, it slowly made its way to the UK, where the format with a top and bottom dough with a meat or seafood filling came to life! It finally jumped overseas to the Americas and got quite the hype!
Brise, Flaky or Puff?
The brisé is a basic, not folded dough; the flaky dough is folded a few times, and the puff dough many times. The more it’s folded, the more layers of butter are used and the more fluff it gets. The original pot pies use a brise bottom part with a flaky top. Although all three would work wonderfully on these pies!
If you choose the brisé dough, you’ll get a thick pie crust, which is crunchy and less fat. The flaky would be perfect, although it is not always easy to find pre-made in the supermarkets. The Puff one is super airy and crisp but higher in fat. It’s all a question of preference, but if you want an authentic pie, go with flaky dough if possible.
Leek or Onion?
Both are similar, although when it comes to pot pies, leeks are my favourite contender. It is slightly sweeter and softer than onion, which could be sharp. Leeks seem more present in Europe, although they are not as popular in the US. I would never mix both; the onion erodes the delicate leeks’ taste. Unlike onions, you have to rinse your leeks because sometimes, the soil gets stuck between the layers. Cut it on the greener side, lengthwise, 3/4 of the way and rinse under running water to prevent a catastrophic event. Here, I leave you a lovely article from Kate Christensen about leeks.
Velouté or Bechamel?
The usual Pot Pie is filled with meat, veggies, seafood, and a thick, tasty velouté or Bechamel sauce. The bechamel is usually made of a roux plus milk, while the velouté is the same: a roux with a cold chicken broth. Both are equally creamy results; again, it’s a preference thing. The bechamel version is good if you have extra sharp cheese in the pie filling, but the Mini Chicken Pot Pies version is made ‘the velouté’ way, an extra savoury, meaty flavour. You substitute the cold broth for milk or vice versa, depending on your favourite taste. Both are permitted and yummy!
Variations
Yes, I already mentioned a few variations above, for example, bechamel vs. velouté and the types of dough. The chicken could easily be switched for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. As for the veggies, the most common mix of mine would be carrots, leeks and green peas, but in this version, I’ve switched the peas for corn. I saw tons of sweet peas mixed with corn, but I think one sweet veggie is plenty. Other veggies people add to their chicken pot pies are mushrooms, potatoes, bacon bits, celery, eggs, and even asparagus, which is all up to you!
Storage
Make the pies ahead of time, pre-cooked or not; they freeze very well in the freezer. Cover them first with aluminum and then plastic wrap. The cooking time might change by 2-3 minutes no more.
Other Chicken Dishes
Equipment
- ramequins or small oven-proof vessels
Ingredients
- 3 cups pre-cooked chicken breast or turkey cut into cubes
- 500 ml chicken broth cold
- 3 leeks finely chopped
- 3 carrots finely chopped
- 230 g pre-made pie dough flaky or puff *equiv. 1 pre-made sheet
- 200 g corn
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp flour
- thyme
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the pre-cooked meat, chicken or turkey into small cubes.
- In a skillet or large pan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and slowly cook the leeks and carrots with some salt at medium-high heat until tender (10 minutes).
- Add the corn kernels and the chicken, and warm them up.
- Make a well in the center of the pan and add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the flour; stir for a minute or two until the flour is cooked.
- Add the cold broth and stir until it thickens.
- Add the salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the filling into ramequins or small oven-proof vessels and cover with the pre-made pie dough. Cut small incisions on top.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl, brush the pies with the egg wash, and add a sprinkle of salt.
- Cook in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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7 Comments
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Asha
I make these tasty chicken pot pies for a Sunday bunch. Great comfort food for a cool day. -
Colleen
The filling for these chicken pot pies worked great with a gluten free pie crust and these were a hit. Thank you. -
Kristen
Love that they’re individual – our kids love having their own and they can help make them too. -
Bernice
I don’t ever miss an opportunity to roast a whole turkey so I went all out for both Canadian and American Thanksgiving this year. That means I had double the leftovers! Thankfully, I found this post and made several mini ‘turkey’ pot pies to freeze for when the turkey craving strikes again. -
Fouzia
These chicken pot pies look so comforting. Love that you added leeks to the chicken which must have given it the depth of flavour. Thanks for sharing.
I love how everyone gets their own. So cute!