Mini chicken pies might seem like they take a long time to make, but the beauty of these little gems- aside from being jaw-droppingly delicious, of course- is that they freeze beautifully. Make a big batch, stick them in the freezer, and whenever you or anyone in your family feels like some hot pie, simply heat it in a hot oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Because I’ve spent so much time perfecting my own pie-crust recipe, I use homemade pie-crust. But feel free to use store bought pie crust- or even some puff pastry or filo. The star of this show is the filling– the recipe of which I give you here:
Mini Chicken Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (from your favorite roast, or simply some chicken you’ve boiled up)
6 thick slices of bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups white onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
4 teaspoons fresh marjoram, chopped (* sage works particularly well in this too!)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cups creme fraiche (or good thick sour cream)
Preheat your oven to 450F (yep, you want it preheated HOT so you don’t get soggy crusts). Prepare your crusts by rolling it out and cutting in circles. Line the holes of a muffin pan with these mini crusts. Set aside.
In a large pan, fry chopped bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan- and add your chopped onions into the pan. Saute this until soft and lightly browned, around six to eight minutes. Add carrots, green beans, and marjoram, and cook while stirring for about a minute. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced, but not dry. Stir in your chicken, the creme fraiche, and bacon. Simmer shortly. Season to taste. This is your filling.
Fill the mini crusts with a generous amount of filling. Cover each with another piecrust round, pressing the edges together to seal. Cut holes for steam. Bake until golden brown, around 25 minutes.
very niceeee