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This mini chicken pot pie recipe features tender pieces of rotisserie chicken and flavorful vegetables in savory gravy encased in a crisp, buttery pastry crust. This recipe is a great way to use leftover roast chicken, or bookmark it make with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!
This dish is cozy, warming, comfort food at its finest. The classic chicken pot pie filling takes less than 15 minutes to make. We tuck the creamy chicken and vegetable filling into muffin wells lined with homemade flaky butter pastry, and then seal them up with a top crust that gets crisp and gorgeously golden. Don’t feel like you have to make a homemade pie crust for this recipe to turn out well; you have a ton of options if you don’t want to make the crust from scratch!
One of the best things about this recipe is that it freezes well for whenever you need a home-cooked meal, but don’t have the time to cook!
Pro Tip: Make It For Meal Prep
Make a double batch of the chicken pot pie filling. You can store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. And it’s absolutely delicious eaten on its own as a hearty stew! Serve it up with mashed potatoes, easy drop biscuits, or a slice of buttered artisan bread.
What Makes the Best Mini Chicken Pot Pies Recipe?
There are three factors that go into making a really exceptional chicken pie pie, whether it’s a miniature version or a full-sized pie: crust, filling, and technique.
Crust
Crisp, flaky, buttery crust is perfection. Here I use my go-to all-butter shortcrust pastry (that I use for both sweet pies and savory pies). It’s easy to make and comes out flaky, golden, and flavorful every time. However, feel free to switch it up if you have a favorite pie crust recipe.
Filling
First things first, make sure to cut the pot pie filling items small, including both the cooked chicken and the vegetables. We want to make sure we can get a little bit of everything into each pot pie, and because we’re making these in a standard muffin pan, we don’t have a lot of room to work with.
Next, make sure the filling isn’t too runny. We do this keeping the liquid we add to a minimum (it’s not a typo; here we only add 2/3 cup of chicken stock) and using a thickener (i.e., flour).
Finally, make sure the chicken pot pie filling is flavorful. In this recipe we build layers of flavor with sautéed vegetables, aromatics, herbs, white wine, and just a few simple seasonings.
Technique
There are two things to keep in mind here for best results: 1) keep your pastry dough as cold as possible until you bake it, and 2) don’t overfill the muffin wells.
Keeping the dough cold yields the flakiest crust; this is because the chilled butter in the dough creates steam as it bakes, puffing the dough and creating flaky layers.
Avoiding overfilling the muffins is important because otherwise you run the risk of the filling running out. Not only does this make a burned mess on the bottom of the oven, but your pot pies will be dry because all the gravy escaped!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Chicken Pot Pie Filling Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – We cook the vegetables in butter for richness. Butter is also needed for the roux (which is a mixture of butter and flour) that we use to thicken the filling.
- Onion, carrot, and celery – In classic French cuisine, the combination of onion, carrot, and celery is called a mirepoix. This vegetable combination is traditionally used in chicken pot pies! Here we sweat the vegetables in butter, which means we cook them down to soften them, but don’t let them brown or caramelize. This ensures our veggies are tender in our pot pies, and also creates a flavorful base for the filling.
- Garlic – Garlic adds great flavor and aroma to the rich, creamy filling. If you want, you can use an extra clove or two.
- Dry white wine – Here we add a little bit of dry white wine after cooking the vegetables, and then scrape up anything sticking to the bottom. This cooking technique is called deglazing, and helps release all the flavor that the vegetables gave off while cooking. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio are both good options here, but you can use whatever your favorite dry white wine is. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can use 2 1/2 tablespoons water + 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice instead.
- Flour – Here we use a little all-purpose flour to make the roux to thicken the gravy for the savory pie filling.
- Chicken stock – Use homemade stock or a good-quality store-bought stock for rich flavor. It’s not a typo, we only need 2/3 of a cup for this recipe. This helps ensure our pot pie filling thickens properly and is less likely to ooze out when baking.
- Heavy whipping cream – We use a little splash of cream for richness and to lighten the color. You can omit it or use half and half instead.
- Cooked chopped chicken – You can use rotisserie chicken, roast chicken, leftover turkey, etc. Make sure to chop the chicken into small bite-sized pieces because we’re making mini pot pies!
- Frozen peas – Thaw and drain them before adding so they don’t water down the filling.
- Fresh thyme and fresh sage – These fresh herbs pair beautifully with chicken; we add them at the end of cooking the filling so they retain their bright flavor. If you don’t have fresh herbs, in a pinch you can use 1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon of dried crushed sage leaves here.
- Worcestershire sauce – This savory fermented condiment adds umami background flavor.
- Salt and black pepper – These pantry-staple seasonings make sure this dish isn’t bland.
Shortcrust Dough Ingredients
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour here.
- Salt – Salt makes sure our crust isn’t bland.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure the butter is chilled; this is how we get a gorgeous flaky crust!
- Water – Use ice-cold water so the butter doesn’t melt.
How To Make This Miniature Chicken Pot Pies Recipe
1: Make the Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Add the butter to a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot over medium to medium heat. Once it’s mostly melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up anything sticking to the bottom (that’s where the flavor is!). Cook until the wine is evaporated off, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, continuing to stir constantly.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, chicken, peas, thyme, sage, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper.
2: Make the Shortcrust Dough
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter.
- Cut in the butter with a fork, a pastry cutter, 2 butter knives, or your fingertips. It should look crumbly, with some pieces of butter the size of small peas.
- Drizzle the water in a little at a time, mixing as you go.
- You can use a fork to mix, but it works best mixing with your fingertips.
- Add just enough water so it comes together to form a ball of dough (you may need more or less water).
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each into a ball, flatten each ball slightly into a disk, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
3: Roll Out the Dough, Assemble the Miniature Pies & Bake
- Place 1 disk of dough onto a floured work surface. I like to roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, but you will still need to flour the paper and the dough.
- Working from the center out, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 3 to 4 mm thick (about 1/8-inch).
- To make the pies in a regular muffin pan, you will need 14 (5-inch) circles to get pressed into the muffin wells. Stamp out as many as you can, and then repeat this process with the second ball of dough. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll the dough, and stamp out more if needed.
- Additionally, you will need 14 (3-inch) circles for topping. Stamp out as many as you can, and then repeat this process with the second ball of dough. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll the dough, and stamp out more if needed.
- Gently press each 5-inch circle of dough into a muffin well in a muffin pan. If you’re using a standard-sized muffin pan, the dough should come up over the top a little, which is perfect. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom crust of each pie. Fill each muffin well to the top with chicken pot pie filling (about 3 tablespoons per pie), making sure the filling is compact and there are no air bubbles. Lightly brush the top ring of dough with eggwash.
- Place 1 (3-inch) dough circle on top of each pie. Gently crimp the outside with a fork. Lightly brush each dough circle with eggwash, discarding any extra eggwash. Bake in an oven preheated to 375F until the mini pies are golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Pro Tip: Crust Options
If you’re pressed for time or just don’t love making homemade pie crust, you have a few different options – and they’re all delicious!
- Store-bought pie dough – Look for this in the refrigerated aisle of your grocery store, frequently near dairy.
- Puff pastry – You can find this in the freezer aisle of regular grocery stores. Thaw it according to the package directions before using.
- Crescent rolls dough – You can find this in the refrigerated aisle along with a ton of other Pillsbury products (such as biscuits, cookie dough, etc.). Look for the tube labeled “crescent roll sheet” so it doesn’t have perforations. However, no worries if you can’t find it; you can use regular crescent rolls dough and gently press the seams together when you roll it out for this recipe.
- Biscuits – You can use store-bought biscuit dough instead of pie crust to easily make individual chicken pot pies in a muffin tin. (I find that the Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Original Biscuits tube of dough works well.) To do so, roll each biscuit out to a 5 1/2-inch circle and press it into a greased muffin well. Add the chicken pot pie filling (be careful not to over-fill), and then pinch the dough together at the top to seal it. They end up looking more like cute little parcels that pies, but they’re still delicious!
Variations
- You don’t have to use rotisserie chicken here. You can also use leftover roast chicken, poached chicken, or leftover turkey. This recipe is perfect after Thanksgiving when you’re looking for new ideas using turkey leftovers!
- Instead of making homemade pie crust, you have a few different quick and easy options. You can also use store-bought pie crust, frozen puff pastry, crescent roll dough, or biscuit dough for this recipe.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
The best way to reheat mini chicken pot pies is in the oven so the crust gets crisp again. To do so, thaw them to room temperature if they’ve been frozen. Preheat the oven to 350F, put the mini pies onto a baking tray, and cover them with foil. Bake until they’re warm throughout and the crust is golden and crisp (the crust will get crisper as it cools too), about 15 to 20 minutes.
Make-Ahead
You can make this filling ahead of time. Once the chicken pot pie filling cools to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you want to make the mini pies, let the filling come to room temperature before assembling them.
Tips For Success
- When you’re adding the filling to the muffin wells, make sure to press down to compact the filling. This helps make sure there are no air bubbles, and allows us to fill each mini pot pie with as much filling as possible.
- Place a foil-lined baking tray on the rack below the muffin pan while baking. That way, if any of the gravy oozes out while baking, it won’t make a mess on the bottom of your oven.
Muffin Pan Chicken Pot Pie FAQs
In this mini chicken pot pie recipe we use two tricks to prevent soggy bottoms: 1) make sure the filling is thick enough, and 2) make sure not to under-bake the pies. And a bonus tip is to use a metal muffin pan (instead of a glass or ceramic muffin pan) because metal conducts heat more efficiently, so it heats up faster and bakes more evenly.
It’s similar to a creamy chicken stew with pieces of chicken, onion, carrot, celery, peas, and sometimes potatoes. Spices and aromatics are often added, such as garlic and fresh herbs. Roux, which is a mixture of butter cooked with flour, is the classic thickener. And the liquid component is usually chicken stock or chicken broth with a splash of milk or cream.
More Cozy Chicken Dinners
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole with Biscuits
- Old-Fashioned Chicken a la King
- Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken
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Mini Chicken Pot Pies Recipe
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Equipment
- Standard muffin pan use a metal pan for best results
Ingredients
Chicken Pot Pie Filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion about 1 medium onion
- 3/4 cup diced carrot
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 3 large cloves garlic crushed
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups bite-size chopped rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken, leftover turkey, etc.
- 1/3 cup frozen peas thawed and drained
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Shortcrust Dough:
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter chilled and diced
- 1 1/8 cups ice-cold water plus more if needed
Other:
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Instructions
Make the Chicken Pot Pie Filling:
- Add the butter to a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot over medium to medium heat. Once it’s mostly melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up anything sticking to the bottom (that’s where the flavor is!). Cook until the wine is evaporated off, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, continuing to stir constantly. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, chicken, peas, thyme, sage, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper.
- Let the chicken pot pie filling cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Make the Shortcrust Dough:
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork, a pastry cutter, 2 butter knives, or your fingertips. It should look crumbly, with some pieces of butter the size of small peas.
- Drizzle the water in a little at a time, mixing as you go (you can use a fork to mix, but it works best mixing with your fingertips). Add just enough water so it comes together to form a ball of dough (you may need more or less water).
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each into a ball, flatten each ball slightly into a disk, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
Assemble the Mini Pot Pies:
- Lightly brush the wells of a muffin pan with butter.
- Place 1 disk of dough onto a floured work surface. Working from the center out, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 3 to 4 mm thick (about 1/8-inch).
- To make the pies in a regular muffin pan, you will need 14 (5-inch) circles to get pressed into the muffin wells, and 14 (3-inch) circles for topping. Stamp out as many as you can, and then repeat this process with the second ball of dough. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll the dough, and stamp out more if needed.
- Gently press each 5-inch circle of dough into a muffin well in a muffin pan. If you’re using a standard-sized muffin pan, the dough should come up over the top a little, which is perfect. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom crust of each tart.
- Fill each muffin well to the top with chicken pot pie filling (about 3 tablespoons per pie), making sure the filling is compact and there are no air bubbles.
- Lightly brush the top ring of dough with egg wash. Place 1 (3-inch) dough circle on top of each pie. Gently crimp the outside with a fork. Lightly brush each dough circle with egg wash, discarding any extra egg wash.
Bake the Mini Pot Pies:
- Bake in an oven preheated to 375F until the mini pot pies are golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Let them cool for 15 minutes in the tray before removing (if you run a paring knife along the outside of each mini pie, they should pop right out).
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Nutritional Information: This recipe makes 14 miniature chicken pot pies. It makes about 3 1/2 cups of chicken pot pie filling; you will have some leftover, which you can eat as stew or freeze for later. The nutritional information given is for 1 mini pot pie.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat mini chicken pot pies is in the oven so the crust gets crisp again. To do so, thaw them to room temperature if they’ve been frozen. Preheat the oven to 350F, put the mini pies onto a baking tray, and cover them with foil. Bake until they’re warm throughout and the crust is golden and crisp (the crust will get crisper as it cools too), about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Make-Ahead: You can make this filling ahead of time. Once the chicken pot pie filling cools to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you want to make the mini pies, let the filling come to room temperature before assembling them.
- Pie Crust Options: Instead of making homemade pie crust, you have a few different quick and easy options. You can also use store-bought pie crust, frozen puff pastry, crescent roll dough, or biscuit dough for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
These look so good, but I was wondering…
Could you make the recipe in a regular size pot pie? Deep dish pie plate?. Thinking for dinner when having company during the holidays. Would be easier than individual ones.
Thank you in advance!
Cam, Absolutely! This makes about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of chicken pot pie filling, which is perfect for filling a standard 9-inch pie plate. However, with these amounts, you’ll have a bit more dough than what’s needed to make a 9-inch double-crusted pie. To make the right amount of dough, use the following measurements: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup unsalted butter, and 3/4 cup ice-cold water (plus more water as needed for the dough to come together). Make sure to cut slits in the top crust so steam from the filling can vent. Bake a 9-inch double-crusted pie in a 400F oven until golden and bubbling in the center, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (You can cover the top with foil if the crust starts to get too dark before the pie is done.) I hope you enjoy! :)