Can I make these mini pies into one big pie?

Absolutely. Just follow the recipe as normal then add to a pie dish or roasting tin where the chicken filling almost fills it totally - try a tin that is 30x20cm roughly but use your judgement here. Or use an ovenproof pan on the stove and then you can put that in the oven too. Roll the pastry out to fit over the single pie and then follow the instructions as before. Make sure the filling is bubbling and hot before serving. 35 minutes should be fine.

Can I make this vegetarian?

If you want to omit the chicken, just sub for a tin of butter beans or cannellini beans to bulk it out a little. Skip the pancetta just start with frying onion in a generous knob of butter. Make sure to use vegetable stock rather than chicken stock too. If you don’t like beans, just add more vegetables such as carrots, peas, green beans, another leek. The world’s your oyster.

Can I make these chicken mini pot pies dairy free?

Yes, you can! Use dairy free butter for frying and then use a plant-based milk in the sauce. Use an unflavoured milk so not something like coconut milk or hazelnut milk.

Can I make them ahead and freeze for later?

Yes, you can make chicken mini pot pies ahead of time and freeze them for later. Make the pies as usual, but don’t bake them. Wrap each unbaked pot pie tightly in cling film then freeze. When ready to cook, bake directly from frozen, for around 45 minutes total, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Chicken Mini Pot Pies

Name: Chicken Mini Pot Pies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil; 70g (approx) pancetta lardons, or bacon; 50g butter; 1 small red onion, chopped; 2 leeks, washed and finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 60g flour; 1 tsp dried tarragon; salt and pepper; 450ml chicken stock; 130ml milk; 450g cooked chicken, preferably leftover roast chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken; 1 x 160g drained tin of sweetcorn; 500g ready-made puff pastry, or you can use the ready-rolled kind but you might need two packets depending on the size of your ramekins. You will have leftover pastry but they are delicious turned into cheese twists.; 1 beaten egg, to egg wash; 20g grated parmesan; 2 tbsp dried tarragon; sprinkling of sea salt flakes

Chicken Mini Pot Pies

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These are perfect little pies: Chicken Mini Pot Pies, inspired by my mum's recipe. It makes 4 pies in these ramekins for reference but any should work of that size - around 12cm.

Author: Margie Nomura
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Category: Chicken
Method: Oven & Stove
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale

1 tsp olive oil
70g (approx) pancetta lardons, or bacon
50g butter
1 small red onion, chopped
2 leeks, washed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
60g flour
1 tsp dried tarragon
salt and pepper
450ml chicken stock
130ml milk
450g cooked chicken, preferably leftover roast chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken
1 x 160g drained tin of sweetcorn
500g ready-made puff pastry, or you can use the ready-rolled kind but you might need two packets depending on the size of your ramekins. You will have leftover pastry but they are delicious turned into cheese twists.
1 beaten egg, to egg wash
20g grated parmesan
2 tbsp dried tarragon
sprinkling of sea salt flakes

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170c fan.
Add the pancetta and oil to a cold pan and turn to medium heat. Fry the pancetta until crispy, around 10-15 minutes. Once golden, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the butter to the pan with the leftover pancetta oil. Add the onions and leek. Season and fry gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
Stir in the flour and give it a good stir. Fry for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour. Then add the hot stock and the milk. Whisk well to get rid of lumps. Allow to simmer gently for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the dried tarragon, the chicken, sweetcorn and the pancetta. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The pancetta is salty so see how much salt you need, it will definitely want black pepper.
Once you're happy, scoop into the ramekins. Cut 4 long strips of the pastry, about 2 cm wide and 4 circles which are about 2 cm bigger than the ramekins. Press the strips onto the lip of each ramekin, wrapping it around like a loop. Then lay the lid on top of this, using a fork to seal it on and crimp it down. Use a knife to poke two holes in each pastry lid and decorate with extra pastry if you want. Brush each pie with egg wash, sprinkle with parmesan, dried tarragon and a little flakey sea salt.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Notes

Chicken: if you don’t have leftover roast chicken and can’t get hold of rotisserie chicken, just roast a few chicken thighs in the oven at 200c for 30-40 mins (or until cooked through) with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt. Then shred up once cooked.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/chicken-mini-pot-pies/