Comfort from the Kitchen

by | Jan 11, 2022 | Food & Drink, Recipes

Is there anything better on a winter night than your very own homemade mini chicken pot pie?

Chicken pot pie is the ultimate Southern comfort food. The combination of chicken, veggies, buttery crust and creamy sauce is sure to please any family. This recipe is simple to make ahead of time and uses premade items to make it even quicker.

Sure, you can simply go to the grocery store and purchase a frozen chicken pot pie and it will be good. But I love making my own, and it pleases my family. I prefer making chicken pot pie in individual ramekins (they’re not only for crème brûlée!) because I can freeze some of them for a quick dinner at a later date or I can cover them with foil for lunch the next day.

Removing the bubbling little ramekins from the oven brings everyone into the kitchen and makes for an impressive-looking meal.

I usually make this for my family a few times a year; typically, after Thanksgiving or Christmas so I can use leftover turkey and/or vegetables. After the holidays you may have leftover vegetables, and this recipe is a great use for them as well. My grandmother often makes peas and carrots for holiday meals, and I take the leftovers home with me and reuse them in this pot pie recipe.

The recipe I have provided uses rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but you can certainly use turkey too; just be sure to shred it into small pieces. If you want to incorporate corn or potatoes into this, it would be equally delicious. Yellow squash would also be a great vegetable to use if you don’t like mushrooms. Green peppers make for a good substitution for the celery. Feel free to mix it up to match your family’s palate.

Some recipes call for a premade pie crust, but I prefer to use refrigerated biscuits, the ones with the bits of butter. I only put the biscuit on the top. You can mash an additional biscuit in the bottom of the ramekins if you would like a bottom crust, but in my experience, it always comes out mushy. Maybe it is because I like my chicken pot pie a bit saucier rather than set up, but you do what you like best.

No matter how you prepare it, these mini chicken pot pies are outstanding and super simple. Try making these the next time you want to put a warming comfort food on your family’s table.

Photography by James Stefiuk

Print Recipe
Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Makes 6 to 8 mini pot pies, depending on the size of the ramekins.
Individual Chicken Pot Pies
Course Main Dish
Cuisine dinner
Keyword chicken, pot pie
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine dinner
Keyword chicken, pot pie
Servings
Ingredients
Individual Chicken Pot Pies
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place 6 to 8 ramekins inside a larger baking dish or baking sheet (to prevent spills in the oven) and grease each one.
  3. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions, carrots, garlic and celery and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until tender.
  4. Stir in the chicken, flour, salt, pepper, parsley and sage, and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
  5. Add chicken stock, milk, peas and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Sir constantly so it will not burn.
  6. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture is somewhat thick. (If it becomes too thick and sticky, add more chicken stock to loosen.)
  7. Remove from heat and divide the mixture between the ramekins.
  8. Place 1 biscuit on top of each filled ramekin and brush the top with melted butter. (I like to mold each biscuit with my hands to match the size of my ramekin and flatten it out a bit.)
  9. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

About the author

Sandi Grigg

Sandi Grigg

Growing up in a small town in the foothills of North Carolina and attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I always dreamed of working on the coast. I earned my degree in Marketing/Branding and started to build a life with my spouse and son. Together, we enjoy fishing, going to hear live music and spending time with family. At home I love to cook and write recipes, take on DIY home improvement endeavors and grill out with friends. Being a part of the Carolina Marketing Company team has showed me that you really can enjoy your job, and we feel like a family. I am truly grateful to have a career I love.