Rustic Chicken Pot Pie (P.S. They’re Mini!)

When I opened my last Christmas gift of the season, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to find mini pie pans in the box! I mean who doesn’t love kitchen supplies in mini size?! They just make everything so much cuter. Immediately after opening them, I was thinking of all the fun sized things that I would be able to make, and ended up settling for a rustic take on chicken pot pie.

In order to make this a “rustic” chicken pot pie, as opposed to a more traditional version with carrots, peas and green beans, I switched out those veggies for sautéed kale, butternut squash and potatoes. Add in some garlic, onions and thyme, all coated in a creamy gravy, and you’ve got one damn good comfort meal for these cold January nights.

It’s a little heavy on the prep side, because you’re sautéing all the ingredients first, but this pays off big time with flavour, so it’s well worth the effort 🙂

Rustic Chicken Pot Pie

Serves: 4

Time: 2 hours (prep + cooking)

Ingredients

1 recipe of your favourite pie dough ( I used a recipe from Land o’ Lakes found here)
1 cup cooked shredded chicken ( I used chicken from a soup chicken, but you could use rotisserie)
3 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat (could also use olive oil)
1/4 cup water
3 stalks kale, torn into small pieces
1 clove garlic - thinly sliced
1 cup butternut squash - cubed
2 medium potatoes - cubed
1/2 medium yellow onion - diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1tsp cornstarch
2 tsp milk
approx 1tsp
a dash of pepper pepper
a pinch of thyme
1 egg

Method

1. Prepare your pie dough according to recipe. Allow to rest in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap while you prepare the filling for your chicken pot pies.
2. Warm 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic and kale. Sauté until both are soft. Season with salt to taste. Drain any extra liquid & set aside
3. Add another 2 tablespoons of bacon fat to the pan along with the butternut squash & potatoes. Add the 1/4 cup water to help them cook and soften. Lastly, add about 1/2 tsp salt. Once the water is absorbed and they are soft and starting to brown, remove from pan and set aside with kale.
4. Add cooked chicken to the bowl with the vegetables.
5. Add your last 1/2 tbsp of bacon fat to the pan and add your diced onions. Once they have started to turn golden, add the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
6. Add the chicken broth.
7. Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk and add to the pan
8. Add the thyme, pepper, and about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt, depending on how much you salted your veggies
9. Whisk everything together until your gravy is smooth and no lumps remain
10. Remove from heat and pour the gravy over your sautéed vegetables.
11. Give the bowl a stir and allow the filling to cool to room temperature.
12. At this point, take your pie dough out of the fridge. Allow it to sit out for 30 minutes
13. After 30 minutes, your filling should be relatively cool, and your pie dough ready to roll.
14. To begin forming your crust, split the dough into 8 equal pieces. I weighed mine (67g each) in order to be more accurate, but you can eyeball them as well.
15. Starting with one ball of dough (keep the remaining dough under plastic wrap) form it into a ball, flatten it, and roll it out so that it is about 1″ wider than your pie pan. Insert into the pan, pressing in gently into the bottom so that there are no air pockets
16. Fill your pie shell to the rim with the now cooled filling
17. Taking another ball of dough, repeat the rolling process and place on the top of the filling.
18. Trim off any excess around the edges and then press the edges shut with the tines of a fork, or a spoon, making any type of design that you like.
19. Cut an X in the centre of your pie to allow steam to escape
20. Brush the top of the pie with an egg wash to ensure that the crust comes out nice and shiny.
21. Bake at 375°F for 45-60 minutes, or until the tops come out a perfect golden brown.

I couldn’t get over how cute my mini chicken pot pies were as I was making them. Because they are a mini chicken pot pie, they are the perfect serving size for 1 person. It’s also a little more work rolling the dough for individual pies, but it’s worth it to have your own mini pie sitting in front of you for dinner 😉

I did choose to make them on a Sunday night though, to ensure that I would have enough time for all the prep.

Overall, I loved the way that the flavour of these heartier vegetables mingled together, all enveloped in a creamy gravy. The soft, rich filling was the perfect contrast to the flaky, crispy pie dough. Never having had chicken pot pie before, I think I came up with a winner!

Let me know what you think of my chicken pot pie, or if you prefer a more classic version!

xo, tess.