These Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies are a fantastic lunchbox, picnic, or on-the-go meal for all savory pie lovers out there! Use refrigerated rolled pie crusts to save you time and ensure that you end up with delicious flaky pastry, filled with a mixture of creamy tender chicken and vegetables.
Enjoy your Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies as a main meal served along with a green salad or fries or as a convenient snack when you’re on the move. They are also a huge hit with kids which is always a win in my books!
For a more traditional dinner, try our Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe and if you’re in the mood for meal prep, stock your freezer with these Freezer Chicken Pot Pies.
For more hand-held chicken-licious recipes, check out these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and Chicken Wings!
What is Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies?
These chicken pot pie hand pies are a delicious twist to the classic chicken pot pie. Instead of the chicken pot pie filling stuffed into a regular pie base and crust and served in individual pie slices, the filling is added to individual hand pies, offering convenient single pie servings that can be enjoyed served at the table or on the go!
Substitutions and Variations
Don’t hold back if you want to make a batch of hand pies with different fillings – just make sure that you label your pot pies in separate containers if you’re making them ahead of time or storing them for later consumption.
Other fillings that would work beautifully with these hand pies include:
- Steak and kidney
- Pepper steak
- Ground beef and vegetables
- Shredded turkey and vegetables
- Vegetarian hand pies with your favorite veg and potato cubes
These Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies are always the best tasting when eaten straight away. With that said, you can store any cooked leftover hand pies in the refrigerator for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container or bag.
To reheat, simply pop them back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes until heated throughout. I prefer reheating these hand pies in the oven instead of the microwave as the oven tends to create more even heating but of course, if you’ve taken these hand pies to the office for lunch then you can definitely use a microwave!
Yes, you can! You can assemble your hand pies and then freeze them unbaked for up to 6 months.
First, set your hand pies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer, uncovered, until frozen solid. Remove the tray from the freezer and wrap the individual hand pies in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then store them in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
When ready to bake your hand pies, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature on your counter and then bake them according to the recipe directions above.
No, you can make your own pot pie pastry for these hand pies if you prefer to make everything from scratch. I used refrigerated rolled pie crusts to save time.
If you do make your own pie pastry for these hand pies, don’t forget to allow your pastry to chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator prior to rolling out and assembling your pies. This will ensure that you end up with tender and flaky pie pastry that will hold the filling well and melt in your mouth!
- Don’t skip the egg yolk wash step in this recipe. It gives the hand pies a lovely golden sheen and helps to seal the edges of the hand pie pastry.
- To ensure a good seal where the pastry joins, make sure that the edges of the pastry are free from any excess pie filling or flour.
- Don’t overfill your pies otherwise the excess filling is likely to spill out of the pastry edges. A couple of tablespoons of the filling mixture will be sufficient.
- I didn’t thin out the rolled pastry but kept it at the thickness already provided by the refrigerated rolled pastry. If you roll out your pastry dough too thin, it’s likely that your pies will split during the baking process and you’ll have filling spilling out.
- Pinching the raw pie crust edges together with your fingers seems to provide a much better seal than just crimping with a fork but whatever method you choose, just ensure that the edges are joined together well for an optimal seal.
More Hand-Held Recipes To Try
Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth or 1 cup water + 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 2 oz. cream cheese cut into pieces
- 1 cup peas and carrots
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts 1 standard 14. Oz. 2-pack
- 1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute until onion is translucent (3-4 minutes).
- Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour mixture begins to brown (3-4 minutes).
- Slowly stir or whisk chicken broth and whole milk into the flour mixture. Stir constantly while pouring just a bit at a time to make a smooth mixture.
- Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly to ensure milk does not burn on the bottom of the pan, Cook until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Stir in cream cheese, frozen vegetables, and diced chicken. Stir to mix evenly.
- Prepare pie crusts by removing pie crust from packaging. Unroll one crust on a lightly floured surface. It is important to keep the crusts thick enough to hold the pie filling, so I did not roll the crusts out any thinner than they came in the package. Use a bowl, placed upside down, to cut out a two circles from the dough. Gently gather together the scraps, roll out just enough to cut two additional circles (you may even need to do one at a time).
- Place three crust circles onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place a scoop of filling into the center of the circle.
- Use a fork to beat the egg yolk with water.
- Brush a bit of the egg yolk wash around the edge of the circle to help the sides seal. Now, fold the pie crust in half to form a crescent shape. Press down (work from the outer edge in) and then crimp with your fingers or a fork to seal the edges. Brush the whole hand pie with the egg wash. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the top of the pies.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until pies are golden brown and crust is crispy. (The filling is already cooked so we’re really just cooking the crust here.)
- Storage:
- Best if eaten right away. Leftover hand pies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven for best results.
Notes
- The egg yolk wash will give the hand pies a nice golden sheen. It is also really helpful to seal the edges together. For the best seal, be sure that the filling and/or any excess flour is away from the edge of the dough.
- Only a couple of tablespoons of the filling mixture will fit in the pie. Do not overfill.
- If the crusts are too thin, the pie will split apart during baking.
- I found that pinching the crust edges provides a better seal than crimping with a fork; just make sure you smush the edges together well so that they seal.
Nutrition
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