This easy chicken hand pies recipe makes savory pockets full of yum! Each one has a creamy chicken pot pie filling nestled in a crispy store-bought pie crust, making for the ultimate comfort food. I don’t know what could be better than a handheld chicken pot pie!
Everything tastes a little better in pocket form if you ask me! These chicken pot pie hand pies are the perfect thing to munch on whether I’m having company over for game day or need a hearty handheld snack. Inside the flaky golden pie crust is a creamy chicken and veggie filling that takes me to comfort food heaven!
What’s in this Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pie recipe?
With just 10 simple ingredients, you can get all the comforts of traditional chicken pot pie with flaky pie crust in the convenience of a handheld pie!
- Chicken: Use fully cooked chicken, diced into bite-sized pieces. Leftover chicken, shredded chicken, and rotisserie chicken are all convenient options.
- Pie Crust: Use a refrigerated rolled pie crust to make this handheld chicken pies recipe extra easy.
- Veggies: Use a bag of frozen mixed veggies. Any combo of peas, carrots, corn, or green beans will work. It’s up to you!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to sauté the onions and create a roux.
- Flour: All-purpose flour helps thicken the pot pie filling.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the richest flavor, but you can use any milk you have on hand.
- Chicken Broth: This helps fill out the filling. You can substitute vegetable broth.
- Egg: Combine an egg with water to create an egg wash, which will help close the pastry crusts.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover chicken hand pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat at 350°F for 7-10 minutes, until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze handheld chicken pot pies in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or resealable bag to store for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen in a 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes, until warmed through.
Notes and Tips
To prevent soggy or broken chicken hand pies, there are a couple of things you can do. Firstly, make sure the pot pie filling is fully cooked until it thickens up. Secondly, make sure the pie crust is thick enough (don’t roll it too thinly), or it won’t hold up against the filling. Thirdly, don’t overfill the hand pies with the chicken filling or they might break open when baking in the oven.
Chicken Hand Pies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter ½ stick
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 14 ounces refrigerated rolled pie crusts (standard 2-pack)
- 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water, beaten
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Rolling Pin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup diced yellow onion
- Add the flour, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour mixture begins to brown.¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, then the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Allow it to simmer for 3 minutes, then stir in the peas and carrots and chicken. Continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened, then remove from the heat and allow it to cool. It will thicken more as it cools.1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1¼ cups whole milk, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- While the chicken filling cools, make the pie crust rounds: Remove the pie crusts from the packaging. Unroll one crust on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it flat, but do not thin it out.14 ounces refrigerated rolled pie crusts
- Use a bowl with a 6-inch round opening to cut out 6 circles of dough, rerolling the scraps as needed but keeping the dough the same thickness.
- Place the crust circles onto a work surface and place a ⅓ cup-sized scoop of filling into the center of the circle.
- Brush a bit of the egg wash around the edge of the circle, then fold the crust in half to form a half circle. Press down lightly, ensuring the filling remains inside, then crimp use a fork or your fingers to seal the edges. Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining circles.1 large egg
- Brush the pies with the egg wash. Use the tines of a fork to poke a few venting holes in the top of the pies.
- Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown and the crust is crispy.
Notes
- In place of the butter, you can use vegetable or canola oil.
- While I recommend whole milk for the richest flavor, you can use any milk you have on hand, including nondairy milk.
- In place of the chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth.
- Feel free to switch up the frozen veggies. Corn or broccoli would be delicious!
- You can use shredded rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Be sure to cook the filling until it is thick and gooey. Watery filling will lead to soggy hand pies.
- Take care not to thin the pie crust when you roll it out, as this could lead to split or soggy pies.
- Don’t overfill the pies; too much filling will cause them to pop open.
- Don’t skip the egg wash. It helps seal the dough together and give it that golden brown sheen.
How to Make Chicken Hand Pies Step by Step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 450°F, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash, and set it aside.
Sauté Onions: In a medium saucepan or skillet, melt ¼ cup of unsalted butter over medium heat. Then add ½ cup of diced yellow onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Next, add ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour mixture begins to brown.
Add the Liquid Ingredients: To the flour mixture, slowly pour in 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, then 1¼ cups of whole milk, and whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth. Allow it to simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the Chicken and Veggies: Next, stir in 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots and 2 cups of diced cooked chicken. Continue to simmer the filling for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool while you work on the pie crusts.
Roll Out the Pie Crust: While the chicken filling cools, make the pie crust pieces. Remove the refrigerated pie crusts from the packaging, unroll one crust on a lightly floured surface, and use a rolling pin to roll it flat (but do not thin it out).
Make 6 Pie Crust Pieces: Use a bowl with a 6-inch round opening to cut out 6 circles of dough for the individual hand pies. Re-roll the scraps as needed, but be sure to make the dough pieces the same thickness. Place the crust circles onto a clean work surface.
Add the Filling: Working one hand pie at a time, place a ⅓ cup-sized scoop of the chicken pot filling into the center of the dough circle.
Brush with Egg Wash: Brush a bit of the egg wash around the edge of the dough circle, then fold the crust in half over the filling to form a half circle. Press down lightly to ensure the filling remains inside.
Crimp the Pie Crust: Next, use a fork to crimp (or your fingers to simply seal) the edges of the hand pie, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Finish Assembling the Pies: Repeat the steps with the remaining dough circles and the rest of the chicken filling, to make 6 hand pies. Then brush the pies with the rest of the egg wash. Use the tines of a fork to poke a few venting holes in the top of each one–this allows steam to exit the pies while they bake, so the filling won’t burst out through the crust.
Bake: Bake chicken pot pie hand pies for 15-16 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crispy.
There really isn’t much of a difference between hand pies and turnovers. Both refer to handheld snacks. Hand pies can be made in a variety of different shapes, while turnovers are always made by folding the dough in half and sealing the remaining 3 sides. By definition, these hand pies are actually also turnovers!
To keep these pies from getting soggy, make sure to cook the filling enough so that it is thick and not at all runny. If the filling is watery, the hand pies will be soggy.
This was a joke as to prep time. The gravy is flat and it’s a lot of work to make the smaller pie crust rounds, apply the egg wash and then try to close it and crimp the edges. I have been cooking and using recipes for 55 years in my home and I was extremely disappointed in this one. Too much time and the taste was blah!! Marie Callender’s is a much tastier option and way less work.
I’m sorry to hear you weren’t a fan, Jane!