Comfort food in single servings. Browned Chicken yields a deep flavor profile. Thyme and lemon brighten the creamy filling inside a quick and simple store-bought crust.Difficulty: Medium
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken
Method Oven
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Refrigerator 1 hourhour
Total Time 3 hourshours
Equipment
6 Mini Aluminum Loaf Pans with cardboard lids
Large pot or Dutch Oven
Large Mixing Bowl
INGREDIENTS
1½lbs.B/S Chicken Breasts - cubed
½tsp.Salt
¼tsp.Pepper
2Tbsp.EVOO
5½cupsChicken Broth
2Tbsp.Butter - unsalted
3Carrots - peeled and cross-cut into ½" slices
1Onion - chopped fine
1RibCelery - chopped
¼cupAP Flour
¼cupWhole Milk
2tsp.Minced Fresh Thyme or ¾ tsp. Dried Thyme
1Tbsp.Lemon Juice
49" Pie Dough Rounds - store-bought
1½cupsPeas - still frozen
1Lg.Egg - beaten
INSTRUCTIONS
Filling
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into small bite-sized cubes.
Heat one tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
Add broth and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover. Pour broth into large bowl.
Melt butter with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, salt, and cook until lightly browned and softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Make a slurry of flour with 1/2 cup of Broth.
Reduce heat to medium, add slurry, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, thyme, and reserved broth and bring to simmer. Cook, whisking often, until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
Take pot off heat, stir in lemon juice and chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer filling to bowl and let cool completely. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
Crusts
Place a dough round on a lightly floured surface. Brush top with water, then place another rounds on it, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with another pair.
Use an inverted single loaf pan as a template to cut out a top crust for each pie.
Assembly
Stir frozen peas into chilled filling, then evenly divide filling among loaf pans. Top each pan with a dough piece. Using a knife, cut steam vents in each pot pie. Cover with cardboard lid (foil side down) and crimp edges OR tightly wrap each loaf pan in 2 layers of plastic and 1 layer of aluminum foil, then freeze if making ahead.
Baking
Preheat oven to 400° F. and place Pot Pies on an oven rack in the middle position. Remove cardboard covers and all wrappings. Brush each pot pie with egg wash and cover with foil.
If Frozen: Bake until filling is starting to bubble, about 40 minutes then remove foil and bake until crusts are golden brown, about 35 minutes.
OR...
If Thawed/Fresh: Remove foil and bake until crusts are golden brown, about 35 minutes.
Let pot pies rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
To preserve their color, don’t thaw the peas before adding them to the filling.Pies may be Frozen before baking for up to 1 month.