Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Happy Pi Day!

This year isn’t nearly as epic as last year, when the combined date and time matched pi to 8 numbers, but pi day is awesome none the less, because it’s punny and everyone loves pie.

As much as I like sweet pies, I decided to shake things up this year and make savory pot pies.

Usually I serve chicken pot pie with biscuits, because that’s the way my mom made it (and it still me favorite).  But I’ve always wanted to try pot pies with a pie crust.

Honestly, they reminded me of those individual frozen pot pies (because those are the only ones I’ve ever eaten that have pie crust – ohmygosh, I loved those things in high school!) only they were approximately a million times better because – duh – homemade.

Though I’ll probably still usually make pot pies with biscuits (or cheddar biscuits!!), because pie crust is a lot more work, these ones are certainly wonderful as a treat!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Adapted from Taste of Home

Pie crust

½ tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

2-3 tbsp cold water

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large potato, diced (about 1 cup)

2 large carrots, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 small zucchini, shredded (optional)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp thyme

2 tbsp butter

½ cup flour

1 ½ cup chicken stock

¾ cup lowfat milk

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

½ cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

 To make the pie crust, whisk together the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.

Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter pieces into the flour until it forms pea sized crumbles.

Beginning with 2 tablespoons of water, sprinkle the water over the flour and butter mixture and lightly mix until it forms a ball.  Add additional water if necessary.  Set aside and cover with a towel.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the potatoes and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the seasonings and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, followed by the milk and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.  Stir in the chicken and peas and cook until heated through.

Meanwhile, gently line each ramekin with pie crust (I cut rolled dough into a large circle and gently stretched it to fit the ramekins).  Spoon the thickened filling into each lined ramekin.  Cover each pie with a second crust.

Bake 30-45 minutes or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly before enjoying

Makes 6-8 pot pies, depending upon the size of the ramekins.