These Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies are a lighter version of your fave comfort food in individual serving sizes! They're freezer-friendly, too.
Chicken pot pies can be so much work! This recipe delivers all the comfort food vibes you're craving in a smaller, more manageable package. They're pretty cute, too!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Lighter comfort food: They're a lower-calorie version of the comfort food fave.
- Freezer-friendly: Make them in advance for an easy-peasy freezer meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work here.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Celery – use a bag of frozen veggies instead for easy prep.
- Carrots – parsnips or leeks would be good too.
- Thyme – oregano will provide a similar flavour.
- Dried sage – double up on the thyme or use rosemary instead.
- Flour – you could also use 2 tbsp. cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Cooked chicken breasts – leave out the chicken for a vegetarian option.
- Peas – use another small veggie like corn.
- Puff pastry – mini pie crust shells would also be good here.
How to make mini chicken pot pies
Step 1: Cook the chicken.
Cook and shred the chicken.
Step 2: Make the filling.
Sauté the veggies, then mix in the flour, spices, broth, chicken and peas.
Step 3: Add to ramekins.
Divide the mixture in the ramekins, then lay the puff pastry slices over top.
Step 4: Bake.
Bake until the pastry is golden-brown.
Recipe tips & variations
- Homemade puff: Make your own homemade puff pastry.
- Veg it up: Add corn, red pepper or green beans.
- Use muffin tins: Place dough into muffin tins. Add the filling, then bake for 20 mins.
- Use leftover chicken: Cook the chicken ahead of time or use rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep time.
- Extra puff: Instead of the criss-cross pattern, cover the entire ramekin with a piece of puff pastry.
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep the crust from getting soggy?
The bottom crust is what tends to get soggy, so I normally just add a top crust to avoid this issue. If you really want a bottom crust, brush the puff pastry with an egg wash and add the filling when it's hot so it doesn't get soggy.
How do I thicken the filling?
The flour should make the filling nice and thick, but if you want it to be even thicker, let it simmer for a bit longer before adding the chicken and peas. Once it's thick enough you can stir in the remaining ingredients.
How do I know when the mini pot pipes are done?
You'll know they're done when the puff pastry is a nice golden brown colour. Since the chicken is pre-cooked, you don't need to worry about it being undercooked.
What to serve with mini chicken pot pies
A side salad, roasted vegetables, brussels sprouts or mashed potatoes would all make great additions to this meal!
Storing and reheating
Storing: Store in airtight containers for 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven for 10-15 mins at 350°F.
Freezing: Wrap in plastic wrap or tinfoil, then freeze in airtight containers for 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen for 30 minutes at 375°F. Make sure your ramekins are oven-safe first!
More comfort food recipes
Meal prep tools
- Grab some oven-safe ramekins here.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass meal prep bowls for up to 3 months.
Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, pulled (you can also use 1 1/2 cups leftover chicken)
- 1 cup peas
- 1 puff pastry sheet
Instructions
- Cook chicken in boiling water for 15 minutes until fully cooked and shred once cooled. I usually do this step a couple days ahead of time during my weekly meal prep or use leftover/rotisserie chicken for this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, salt and pepper, sauteing for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add flour, sage and thyme, mixing well. Add chicken broth, bringing to a boil and letting mixture thicken. Stir in chicken and peas, then remove from heat.
- Divide chicken mixture evenly among 4 medium-sized ramekins (I use the Coringware kind). Roll out puff pastry and cut into thin 1/2-inch thick slices with a pizza cutter. Take slices and add to ramekins in a criss-cross fashion, or just place a large piece of puff pastry overtop of the whole ramekin.
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Veronica says
What size ramekins are used for these?
Taylor Stinson says
I’ve linked to them here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QWQ58GG/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegirlonbloo-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07QWQ58GG&linkId=bf81feb216ab9a8fdc9bf296ecc40cb8&th=1
Hilary says
When are you supposed to mix in the spices?
Taylor Stinson says
Looks like I forgot to add that in! You’ll mix them in with the flour, I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this. Sorry for the confusion!
Irene says
Question – in the recipe it says “Add chicken broth, bringing to a boil and letting mixture thicken.” How long are we supposed to boil the chicken broth for? Or is there something visually I should be looking for? I wasn’t sure and felt that maybe I left it boiling for too long because I was waiting for it to thicken, more like a gravy.
Great recipe, used it for Thanksgiving leftovers.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Irene – it’s just a couple of minutes, it should have thickened slightly because of the flower. Hope you enjoyed!
Amy says
I made this for my parents as a young chef and it turned out awsome!!! I did make a couple changes though, for one I didn’t do onions (personal preference), secondly, I decided to do one big pan of it, more like an actual pie or casserole, and lastly, I used a biscuit mix which I made and then instead of making individual biscuits spread the dough on top of the other ingredients. This turned out awsome! I put it in the oven at 400 degrees but only for 16 minutes. I did this because I didn’t want to overcook the biscuit, so at the 16 minute mark I put on some cheese, melted butter, and herbs then threw it in for another 2 minutes or so on broil. Thanks sooooooooo much for the tasty recipe! Hope this helped someone!
emily says
hey how would you change this recipe if you are using refridgerated pie crust? i only have that.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Emily – I wish I could help but I’ve never done this myself so I don’t feel comfortable giving advice 🙁 I wouldn’t want you to burn it or waste ingredients.
Patricia says
Hi I am going to try this recipe soon. I am kind of new to cooking and I’m wondering how big of a dish I can use. Could I use one big dish or would it be runny like stew?
Ps thanks for all your notes and explanations it really helps as a novice!!!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Patricia – if you’re new to cooking I would recommend that you follow the recipe exactly using the ramekins the first time just to absolutely ensure that it turns out! I have not tried this recipe in a larger dish myself either so I don’t feel comfortable advising. I would imagine you could use a 9×13 baking dish but then I don’t know how that would work with the puff pastry, and it might end up being too soupy as you’ve said. I’m sorry I wish I could help further!
Patricia says
Very helpful and thank you for the reply!!
Taylor Stinson says
Happy to help! 🙂 Will try to make a larger chicken pot pie later this year and update you!
Jennifer M says
I haven’t tried this but I will be shortly.
2 things
I see 6 votes but only 2 comments. Secondly, it’d be nice to be able to “jump to recipe”. My days are so full it’s difficult enough to just get the meal going without having to scroll through so much blogging and ads. I normally go back and read info on tips for cooking the dish. It seems so many recipes now have a book written before you can get to the recipe. I’m not saying you – but there’s so many out there that do.
Looks delicious ‘
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Jennifer – I am in the process of adding Jump to Recipe buttons on all of my posts, but with a backlog of over 400 recipes to update it’s taking me some time to work through them all. Thanks for your patience and your kind words!
Debbie says
Yes these are definitely adorable! How would you recommend freezing and then reheating these? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Debbie! I would recommend freezing in the Corningware containers themselves or using mini foil containers! Reheat at 375F for 45 minutes or so!
Stephanie says
Hi Taylor,
Do we fully cook the chicken pot pie before we freeze it?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes that is what I recommend. We do have freezing instructions right above the recipe card to help out 🙂
Richard Deschambault says
Great comfort food recipe! I love your website; it gives me great ideas. I would personally cut down on the flour a little, as I find the sauce will thicken as well while baking them. But it’s all a question of taste, isn’t it? Keep up the excellent work, looking forward to your next recipe!