These Mini Chicken Pot Pies are going to be one of your new favorite dinners! They have all the “from-scratch” taste without any of the fuss. They’re so easy to make and perfect to freeze and reheat later, too!
Mini Chicken Pot Pies are Awesome Because….
- Smaller Portions. Everyone loves a mini version of foods, so when you get your own individual sized pie, it’s just more fun. This is also great for smaller families or individuals that don’t want to bake up a whole large pie and have to eat leftovers for days.
- Easy. This mini chicken pot pie recipe uses pre-made crusts, frozen veggies, and pre-cooked chicken (think rotisserie chicken!) so it comes together quickly and easily! It still feels like it’s made from scratch without all the fuss.
- Delicious! This pot pie recipe is so creamy and delicious, and my family always LOVES it! It’s the ultimate comfort food and we can’t get enough of this recipe!
- Freezer-Friendly. Like most of my recipes, this recipe is freezer-friendly. I’ll give you instructions below on how these pies go directly from the freezer to the oven!
- Quick. These make for a quick dinner, or lunch options for comfort food when you don’t feel like cooking!
What Ingredients Do I Need?
For this recipe we are making a homemade gravy from scratch, but using frozen potatoes, frozen peas n carrots mix, and pre-cooked chicken for shortcuts.
If making the gravy from scratch scares you, you could simply buy a few jars of gravy at the store (see my easy chicken pot pie recipe version here), however the little extra work makes this recipe taste way better in my opinion.
Ingredients
- frozen diced hash browns
- chopped cooked chicken (usually rotisserie)
- frozen peas and carrots
- store-bought pie crusts
- gravy base: butter, cornstarch, chicken broth and cream
- seasonings: parsley, onion powder, celery salt, and poultry seasoning
I do use store-bought pie shells for this because it saves me a ton of time. If you want to go totally from scratch, you could, but I don’t usually have time to make things like pie crust from scratch. Plus my family enjoys the meal just as much even when I don’t!
How To Make Homemade Mini Chicken Pot Pies
For something that tastes SO good, there’s really very little work that goes into making these! My husband almost melts when I tell him this is what’s for dinner, and I can’t blame him!
First, you’re going to want to make your creamy sauce gravy from scratch. But don’t worry, it’s easy.
Combine your butter and corn starch and cook until it gets a little foamy, but not browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Then add in your chicken broth and let it cook for 3-4 minutes until it thickens up. After that, you’re going to need to add in your seasonings and heavy cream, stirring constantly.
After that cools a bit, you’re going to add in the hash browns, peas n’ carrots, and chicken, and stir until it’s all mixed well together.
Evenly distribute the filling mixture into (6) five-inch mini foil pie pans. If you want to have pie crust on the bottom of the pies as well, you’ll just need to buy a few more store-bought pie crusts and add those first. But honestly, I like these pies with only crusts on top the best.
Cut out six round circles from the pie crusts using a bowl as a guide that’s about 7” around.
Lay the dough over the top of the mini pie pans and use fork tines or your fingers to flute the edges. Cut off any extra dough as needed.
Cut several slits in the top of the pie crust, and then bake the pies in an oven that’s been pre-heated to 375 for 45 minutes, or until the tops get golden brown and the filling bubbles up nicely.
That is, unless you want to freeze them and cook them up later. If that’s the route you wanna go, simply cover them, label and stick them in the freezer.
FAQ’s
How to Make Ahead & Freeze
If you want to make these as a freezer meal (find all my freezer meals here), to cook later, you absolutely can! Follow the steps above before baking, and then do the following to make it freezer safe:
- Wrap each pie in a layer or two of plastic wrap, making sure to cover any exposed area to prevent freezer burn.
- Wrap each pie in foil.
- Label each pie and freeze for later baking.
How to Cook from Frozen
I’d recommend not thawing first, and just having your pie go from freezer to the oven, once you’ve taken off the plastic wrap.
Cooking these from frozen is simple. For BEST results, you should write a simplified version of the instructions below on your pies before freezing.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove the foil and plastic wrap.
- Place pies on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for one hour and thirty minutes, or until the tops are golden and the insides are bubbly.
- If the tops brown too quickly, you can loosely cover with foil while baking.
- Allow them to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
What Do You Pair With Chicken Pot Pie?
Since Chicken Pot Pie is already a comfort food, and packed with veggies, this meal can absolutely stand on its own. But if you want a side to go with it a nice fresh green salad or bowl of cut up fruit would taste amazing with it.
Tips and Tricks for Making These Mini Chicken Pot Pies Perfect Every Time
- Use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken you cook yourself to save time (plus it will add even more flavor, too).
- Don’t overcook the butter/cornstarch mixture in the beginning by letting it brown. The most common reason this happens is from cooking at too high heat.
- Watch your crust as it cooks, and if it seems like it’s browning too quickly, cover it lightly with foil to keep that from happening. The goal is golden brown crust, not burnt crust!
- Don’t forget to cut slits in the top of your pies before cooking to allow the steam to escape. This will keep all your filling from bursting through a hole in the side and bubbling over while it cooks.
Want Some More Freezer-Friendly Comfort Food Recipes?
- Freezer-Friendly Mac-N-Cheese – My kids LOVE this recipe for lunch or dinner!
- Chicken and Broccoli and Cheese Rice Casserole – This is the ultimate comfort food and is such a simple recipe!
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup – Freezer-friendly and so good, this is the best comfort food you can make!
- Instant Pot Light Chicken Pot Pie – All the comfort of chicken pot pie without all the calories!
- Baked Chicken Pesto Alfredo – One of my family’s favorite meals with tender chicken, alfredo and pasta!
Now that you’ve seen how fast and easy (and absolutely crave-worthy!) these Mini Chicken Pot Pies are, I’m sure they’ll be on your regular menu! See more of my freezer meal recipes on Pinterest!
Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1-1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups frozen diced hash browns about 20 oz/565 g
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots about 12 oz
- 4 store-bought pie crusts
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle cornstarch overtop and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until foamy and simmering (do not let it brown).
- Add chicken broth; cook, whisking constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until sauce thickens and starts to simmer. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in parsley, onion powder, celery salt, poultry seasoning. Let the sauce cool for 5-10 minutes. When cooled, add the heavy whipping cream and stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine white sauce, hash browns, chicken and peas and carrots; stir gently to combine. Pour into 6 individual 5-inch (25 cm) metal or foil mini pie plates.
- Cut out round sizes from pie crusts using a bowl or dish 7 inches round. Place pie crusts over tops of pies. Cut away excess dough, leaving a 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhanging dough under itself and, using the tines of a fork, press all along the edges or flute with your fingers.
MAKE IT NOW
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Make several slits in the tops of the pies to allow steam to escape.
- Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until tops are golden and filling is bubbly. (If crust starts to brown too quickly during baking, cover it loosely with foil.) Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.
MAKE IT A FREEZER MEAL
- Wrap unbaked pies tightly with 1-2 layers of plastic wrap. Cover with foil. Label and freeze.
COOK FROM FROZEN
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Remove foil and plastic wrap. Make several slits in the tops of the pies to allow steam to escape.
- Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until tops are golden and insides are bubbly. (If crust starts to brown too quickly during baking, cover it loosely with foil.)
- Let cool for 15 minutes. Place thyme sprigs on tops of pies, if using. Serve.
Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken you cook yourself to make this recipe faster!
- Don’t overcook the butter/cornstarch mixture in the beginning by letting it brown. The most common reason this happens is from cooking at too high heat.
- Watch your crust as it cooks, and if it seems like it’s browning too quickly, cover it lightly with foil to keep that from happening. The goal is golden brown crust, not burnt crust!
- Don’t forget to cut slits in the top of your pies before cooking to allow the steam to escape. This will keep all your filling from bursting through a hole in the side and bubbling over while it cooks.
Nutrition
Loved this recipe?
Make sure to follow on Instagram @happymoneysaver and on Pinterest @happymoneysaver for more money savin’ recipes!
Love this recipe as much as we do? Subscribe to Happy Money Saver to get more recipes like this sent straight to your email inbox!
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Kim says
This was by far the best chicken pot pie recipe I’ve ever made! I used diced red potatoes and simmered them in the pot pie mixture until they were tender. Also, I used the meat from one rotisserie chicken. Then, I divided the mixture between (2) 9 inch deep dish cake pans, I froze one (without the crust) and baked one for dinner. Ultimate comfort food!
Rosie Moran says
I’m not much of a cook (my words, not my family’s!) but I made these last week. I only needed to make two so I decreased the ingredient list by 1/3. They were the best chicken pot pies I’ve ever had! Simple, yet delicious. I’m making them again this week!
Kendall says
Hello! How long can these last in the freezer? Thank you!
Karrie says
I prefer to use up the pot pies within 6 months of freezing, but they can be used longer than that however they might have greater chance for freezer burn.
Carolyn says
These were the best pot pies I’ve ever had! I only made 1/2 recipe, it filled 8, 1/2 cup ramekins. 2 piecrusts (1 package) covered all with enough to put a round of crust on the bottom of the greased ramekins. I also added 2 teaspoons of dehydrated onion and used half’n’half instead of cream and brushed the top of the crust with milk, but everything else is as you have written and they tasted great. All your times were “spot on”. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Happy-Money-Saver says
I am so glad to hear it!
Laurie says
What’s the easiest/best way to reheat the precooked chicken pot pie? Making these for a family member who can’t cook.
Happy-Money-Saver says
I would say if they are already cooked and then frozen, I would put them in the oven at 375 for 30-40 minutes until they are hot. I would suggest cooking on a sheet pan so it is easier to pull out of the oven. Also check to make sure the crust isn’t getting too brown. If so, cover it with foil.
Karen Cleveland says
I’d like to make these to take for lunches. Can they be baked and then frozen and then microwaved to reheat?
Happy-Money-Saver says
Yes, that could work but the crust probably won’t be as crisp as straight out of the oven.
Cindy says
Have you tried this with a mashed potatoe top instead of pue crust to make them gluten free? Any tips in doing so?
Karrie says
That would be yummy! Yes, you’d just add mashed potatoes and bake it up.
Sierra says
Can I use puff pastry and go from freezer to oven?
Karrie says
Hi, that might work, however I’ve had mixed results using puff pastry for some reason. Sometimes they puff up beautifully and other times not so great.
Amanda A says
How can I make this vegetarian friendly?
Karrie says
Probably substitute the chicken for chickpeas or white beans, and then use vegetarian broth instead of the chicken broth.
Sandra Pinnix says
I was introduced to “Happy Money Saver” by my daughter. This was the first recipe I viewed, and I was impressed with how well you explain things. You don’t leave anything to chance and explain the directions in terms everyone can understand. I appreciate the attention to detail given in your recipes. You are doing a GREAT job!
DeAnn says
I am making this recipe for dinner tonight but I am going to make two big family size pies instead of little ones. Do you think I will need to adjust the cooking time or the temp?
Karrie says
Hi, the cooking time should be pretty close to the same, however just watch it and see. It might need a little more time (like maybe 5-10 minutes?)
Barrie says
Girl, you slay me! These look amazing and just like the Swanson pot pies I grew up with! Where do you find the small pie tins?!