Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Puff Pastry

Why You Need to Make These Chicken Pot Pies

Many, if not most, of the recipes I’ve seen for chicken pot pie use a white sauce.

And while white sauce is delicious, it is not the most delicious sauce for pot pie.

Making a veloute (vel-OO-tay) is as easy as making a roux and then adding chicken broth or stock and bringing it to a boil. The result is a silky-smooth, thick, chicken-y sauce.

Add some cream to a veloute, and you have The Ideal Sauce for pot pie.

Instead of starting with stock, I used Better Than Bouillon dissolved in water for a quickie stock. If you have homemade stock, by all means, use it.

Better Than Bouillon is good stuff and will keep almost forever in the fridge.

Another characteristic that sets my recipe apart is that I take advantage of Maillard reactions (in short, browning) to add flavor to the filling.

That means, when I let my chicken brown, I then deglaze the pan and incorporate all that flavor into the sauce.

Next time you see a chicken pot pie with super white sauce, eye it with just a bit of skepticism if not outright suspicion. It’s not the best it can be.

The third reason this recipe is great is that I use homemade puff pastry to crown each pot pie in deep golden-brown, crispy, crunchy glory.

While using homemade puff isn’t a deal breaker–storebought is also really tasty–it is a nice touch.

For a bit less work, you can also make a half recipe of my flaky pate brisee instead.

How To Make

I will show you how I made my chicken pot pies with puff pastry. Know that you can switch up the vegetables if you prefer. I’ll give you some ideas in the variations section.

I’ll go over how to make the sauce, give you some substitutions where possible, and walk you through all the steps so you’ll be ready to cook.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chicken: For ease, I use boneless, skinless chicken. I generally go for thighs, because I think they have more flavor and are often cheaper. Chicken breast works well too. You could also use shredded or diced rotisserie chicken or any leftover, cooked chicken you have on hand
• Salt & pepper: I use these fairly liberally to season as I add the different layers of ingredients. I stick with Morton’s kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fat: Any fat will do here. Bonus for using fat that has good flavor as well. Choices include: vegetable oil, shortening, butter, bacon fat, schmalz, etc. If you want to be Super Fancy, use duck fat. I did and used this spray-on duck fat
• Onion & celery: These two vegetables don’t really count as the Actual Vegetables in the pot pie. They’re in here as aromatics and get sauteed up in the bacon fat as part of the base flavors. You can also add in some carrot for a traditional mirepoix. Add some garlice also, if you’d like
• Vinegar: Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar are both good choices. I use them for deglazing. You could also use a bit of dry white wine for deglazing if you have some on hand
• Russet potato: I love potatoes in pot pie. So I used 1 medium-sized baking potato, peeled and diced into about 1/3″ cubes. You could use red skinned potatoes if you’d like, either peeled or unpeeled
• Flour: The flour mixes with the fat you added earlier to make the roux. Roux is generally equal parts of flour and fat and is used for thickening and, to a lesser extent, flavor if you take it dark like a Cajun roux. In this case, it’s mainly for thickening since it’s not a long-cooking roux. If you need gluten-free filling, substitute cornstarch here
• Poultry seasoning: Adds a well-rounded “Thanksgiving” or “chicken dinner” flavor that I just love. If you don’t have poultry seasoning, substitute some rubbed sage, dry or fresh thyme and maybe a touch of finely minced rosemary
• Cream: Adds richness and creaminess. You can also substitute half and half or whole milk. If you do make a substitution to a lower-fat dairy, you may need to reduce your sauce for a bit longer so it gets nice and thick and creamy even without the cream
• Water: I use water in 2 places. First, to mix with the chicken base for the “quickie stock.” Second, I wet the rims of my ramekins so the puff pastry rounds adhere well
• Chicken Base: If you have chicken stock or broth, substitute that for the water and chicken base.
• Mixed vegetables: Use your favorite all-purpose frozen veg mix, or use a mix of what you happen to have on hand
• Baby spinach: Any kind of tender, leafy greens are a nice addition for extra nutrition and color. You could also use any other “babies” like chard or kale
• Puff pastry: Homemade or storebought. Or use pie crust. Or top each ramekin of filling with a homemade or refrigerator biscuit if you like a biscuit topping
• Eggwash: One egg mixed with a tiny bit of water and a pinch of salt. Brush it on your puff pastry right before baking

Procedure

In broad strokes, here’s what you’ll do:

1. Brown chicken
2. Cook aromatics in fat
3. Deglaze with vinegar
4. Add flour to make your roux
5. Make veloute by adding water/chicken base
6. Enrich with cream
7. Simmer vegetables in sauce
8. Portion into ramekins
9. Top with pastry
10. Bake

Visual How-To

For some process shots and collages, read on for specifics. Otherwise, you can head straight to the recipe.

Browning the chicken

1. Dice your onions, celery, and potatoes fairly finely since these are individual potpies.
2. Cut up and salt/pepper your chicken.
3. Cook over medium heat in about 2 Tablespoons of fat. I used duck fat.
4. Cook until browned, although the chicken doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through since you’ll be baking it.

Making the Flavor Base for the Sauce

1. Add a bit more fat, and then toss in your aromatics. As they cook, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Once the aromatics are softened, add the potatoes and vinegar. The water from the potatoes and the vinegar will help further deglaze the pan.
3. Add in the flour and cook for a minute or two. Add a touch more fat if necessary.
4. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper

Making and Finishing the Sauce

1. Measure water, chicken base, and cream into a pitcher (NOTE: I made a half-recipe)
2. Stir this into the pan of vegetables, bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir the chicken back in.
4. Add one or two large handfuls of tender greens and stir them in

Filling Ramekins and Baking

1. Use a ramekin as a guide to cut your puff circles. You want about a 1/4″-1/2″ overhand all around, so cut your puff into rounds that are 1/2″ to 1″ larger than your ramekins
2. Evenly portion the filling among the ramekins, filling them almost all the way up
3. Rub a little water onto the rims so the puff has something to stick to.
4. Press the puff onto the tops of the ramekins. Cut little vent slits in the dough.

NOT PICTURED: Freeze for 30 minutes and then brush the puff with eggwash before baking for about 20-30 minutes.

Equipment You May Need

For my money, a wide, shallow saute pan is my Vehicle of Choice for making braises and pot pie fillings like this one.

This is the one I recommend:

You’ll also want some ramekins if making individual pot pies.

I used 10 oz ramekins for mine, which hold, by volume, 1 1/4 cups.

It’s a filling enough serving to help you feel like you had a good meal without being so huge you feel ill.

If you have a smaller appetite, you may want to consider 8 oz ramekins.

Variations

Here are some ideas for how to vary the flavors and vegetables in your filling:

• Cajun-inspired pot pies: Use half Andouille sausage and half chicken for the meat. Include green bell pepper in with your onions and celery. Add a healthy dose of Tony Chachere’s to your sauce either in addition to or in place of the poultry seasoning. Use mixed bell peppers either in addition to or in place of the mixed vegetables I used
• Mexican-inspired pot pies: Use half chorizo and half chicken for the meat. Include a minced jalapeno in with the onions and celery. Use chili powder and cumin in place of the poultry seasoning. Replace some of the stock/cream mixture with Herdez guacamole salsa

Other vegetables to consider adding:

• mushrooms
• cauliflower
• pearl onions
• lima beans
• zucchini
• cubed delicata or butternut squash
• peas

Tips for Success

Your filling is completely cooked, so you’ll know your potpies are done when the puff pastry is deeply golden brown and some liquids are bubbling up through the vent holes.

For easy cleanup, bake your pot pies on a sheet tray to catch any overspill. For super easy cleanup, put parchment down on your sheet tray first.

Chicken Pot Pie Q & A

Serving Suggestions

Since this is a rich and hearty meal, you can either lean in with more rich and hearty food or go for a balance.

If you’re in Camp A, serve with a side of creamy mac and cheese.

If you’re in Camp B, serve with a nice green salad or maybe some marinated cucumbers. Something acidic will help to cut the richness of the puff pastry and filling.

When we ate ours, I served a sweet kale salad with it, and that was a great pairing.

More Chicken Recipes

If you’re a fan of comforting, chickeny goodness, consider making my instant pot fiesta chicken. It’s a Mexican-inspired spin on crack chicken that is really tasty.

If you’re a fan of chicken salad, you can’t do much better than Coronation chicken salad. A little sweet, a little spicy, and a little crunchy and fruity, it’s great in a sandwich or on a salad.

Chicken cutlets with herb gravy is a lightened up southern classic every bit as good as grandma’s. Just a little bit lighter.

A Note About Measurements

NOTE: Most of my recipes are written by weight and not volume, even the liquids.

Even though I try to provide you with volume measurements as well, I encourage you to buy a kitchen scale for ease of measuring, accuracy, and consistency.

This is the scale I use, love, and recommend. If you’re unsure, please read my post about how to use a food scale.

Questions

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

Thanks for spending some time with me today.

I know these puff pastry pot pies will make you very happy!

Take care, and have a lovely day.

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