Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Pie crust is one of my worst subjects, pie crust and frosting cakes. In a blind taste test no one would know but I can't make them look pretty. There are worse things. 

Today while figuring out what to make for dinner while also figuring out how to not go to the grocery store, this came together...

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Crust:

2 sticks of cold butter cut up

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold water

Filling:

1 onion diced

3 celery stalks diced

3 carrots diced

1 cup frozen petite peas

1 lb chicken breast chopped

Veg oil

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup half & half

Tbs butter

Chicken broth 2 cups

Salt, pepper, garlic powder,  herbs de Provence 

In a food processor, pulse flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle most of the cold water and continue to pulse until it starts coming together. Turn out to a floured board and work in remaining water by kneading. Make 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. 

In a large sauté pan cook veggies in some veg oil until they just become slightly tender. Add a tbs of butter and  Make room for chicken, season everything with salt pepper, garlic, and herbs. Sauté until fully cooked. Sprinke 1/4 cup of flour and stir until cooked. Add 1 cup of broth until combined, add 1/2 cup half & half and stir until thickened. Add remaining broth, stirring constantly. While we are on the broth subject, I purchased this by accident 

And decided to try it. I like to flavor things myself but this worked really well for the sauce, it gave it a nice rich taste. Nice job College Inn!

You want the sauce pretty thick but not pasty. 

Let that sit and cool a bit. Preheat your oven to 375 and get your dough out. Roll it out pretty thin and see how many mini pie plates you can get out of the first rolling. I have a variety of sizes here; 3 individual tarts, 1 topless ramekin, and a small pie dish that's bigger than a tart but smaller than a pie because my husband would not be full on a tart size. So, you line the plates that you are using,  you may have to roll out the next disc for the last one but that's ok (says the unskilled pie maker) the tops use less dough to cover. Scoop the filling with a ladle and put a top on it. Crimp the edges (do it nicer than mine). I had extra filling so that's how I ended up with that topless ramekin. Waste not, want not. Brush tops with egg wash, and cut some airholes. 

Bake on an old baking sheet, because they will probably leak, for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling.