Chicken Pot ‘Hand’ Pies

One of the favorite and most loved snack type foods in Australia are meat pies. Growing up in Melbourne, I remember ordering lunch at school by putting my money into a brown paper bag and writing my order on the front. Almost always, my lunch order was a pie. The simplicity of this very versatile meal brings back such great memories of a simpler time. When lunch finally arrived, the smell of these delicious pies wafting through the school’s corridors was intoxicating. We all couldn’t wait to finish our lessons and dive into our warm, flaky pies. Well, today’s post does not involve meat pies…I will leave that for another day, but it does involve another pie of sorts…a chicken pot pie that I recently made for friends and family who came over for the Superbowl. They went over so well, I thought I would share the recipe with you. 

Instead of the traditional pie filling in a dish with a pie crust top, I made these with legs…well, not actually legs, but definitely a more mobile, handheld version of this delicious and comforting meal. Whether you fix them for yourself on the run or at a casual gathering where you need something filling but easy to handle, these would be perfect! Everyone will swoon when you pull these warm out of the oven, and I guarantee that they will not last very long. You can make these ahead and freeze them, and just remove them when you are in the mood, throw on a little egg wash and bake…it’s that easy.

Chicken Pot ‘Hand’ Pies (makes 18 pies)

1 cup carrots, finely diced

1 cup corn

1 cup petite peas

½ cup celery, finely diced

½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ cup pearl onions

1 medium potato, finely diced

2 ½ cups chicken broth

2 ½ cups diced chicken

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

S&P to taste

Puff pastry sheets (6 pieces of dough per sheet)

4½” round cutter

3 oz ice cream scoop

1 Egg plus 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

Roux

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1¼ cups milk, warm

¼ cup heavy cream, warm

1 large pinch nutmeg

S&P to taste

Put all of the veggies and chicken broth in a deep skillet and cook on a medium simmer until half of the broth has been reduced and potatoes are cooked through.

Once the liquid has reduced, taste for S&P, you may have to adjust a little bit at this point. In another small pot, melt the butter and then add the flour. Toast the flour in the butter for a few minutes to get rid of the raw taste of the flour. Next add the warm milk and cream and whisk until it begins to thicken. Add the nutmeg, and S&P to taste and continue whisking until thickened.

Normally, a roux is a 1:1:1 ratio of butter, flour and milk. Here, I have changed it up a little. I did not add as much milk, because this will get added into the veggie mixture that still has about a cup or so of broth, and this will compensate for the extra milk. I also added a little cream to add a smoothness and richness to the filling. Once the roux has thickened, add this to the veggie mixture and stir in well until everything is well coated. Cook this for another few minutes until the filling begins to thicken.

At this point, add the 2 teaspoons of mustard and the diced chicken pieces and stir well until combined. Since the chicken is already cooked, just add this at the end and mix well into the mixture. Set this mixture aside, slightly covered, until it cools. You can make this ahead of time and prepare the pies on the day they are needed.

Once you are ready to put the pies together, cut out 4 ½” circles from each sheet of dough. Lay the circles on a half sheet pan lined with a piece of parchment paper. Score the bottom pieces of dough with a fork by poking a few holes to ‘vent’ the moisture from the dough.

Add  one 3 oz scoop of filling into the center of each piece, use a little water around the edge so you will get a perfect seal and then cover with another piece of dough, carefully covering the filling.

Add little vent holes on the top of the dough so that the filling can breathe and not leak out.

At this point, you can cover these well and freeze them, and when the mood strikes you, just remove them add the egg wash and bake. If you are going to bake them right away, it is a good idea to chill them for about 15 minutes, so that you get a good seal on the dough. During this time, preheat your oven to 350°F. Once they have been chilled, brush the tops well with the egg wash and bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.