Description
This Individual Chicken Pot Pies recipe delivers comforting and hearty servings featuring tender rotisserie chicken, mixed vegetables, and a creamy mushroom sauce, all encased in flaky puff pastry. Perfect for cozy dinners, these pot pies are baked to golden perfection with a deliciously rich filling that’s easy to prepare and serve in individual portions.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 1 small rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, chopped (550 grams cleaned chicken)
- 24 oz frozen mixed vegetables (680 grams)
- 2 1/2 cups Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock, Unsalted (20 fl oz)
- 2 cans (10.5 oz each) Campbell’s Healthy Choice Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped (250 grams)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped (70 grams)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced (20 grams)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour (16 grams)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Pastry Top
- Thawed puff pastry sheets (quantity sufficient to cover 6 small baking dishes)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Prepare for Baking: Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Arrange 6 individual oven-safe baking or meal prep dishes on a baking sheet, making sure they can withstand the high temperature of the oven and are ready to hold the filling and pastry topping.
- Create the Base Sauce: In a pot over medium-high heat, melt the unsalted butter. Add the chopped onion, celery, minced garlic, and fresh thyme leaves. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables, stirring to coat and form a roux without any dry flour showing. This roux will thicken your sauce.
- Develop the Filling: Pour in the chicken stock and the cream of mushroom soup while whisking continuously to prevent lumps from the flour. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook for 1-2 minutes to thicken properly. Remove the pot from heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Prepare the Pastry Tops: On a lightly floured surface, unroll the thawed puff pastry sheets. Trim pieces to fit the openings of the baking dishes, ideally using square dishes to reduce pastry waste. If necessary, join pieces by moistening the edges and pressing firmly together. Crimp the edges of the pastry with your fingers to create a decorative border. Cut an “X” or small slits in the center of each piece to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Apply Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush this wash over the entire surface and edges of each pastry piece to help them bake to a beautiful golden-brown finish. If you plan to freeze the pot pies rather than bake immediately, you may skip this step.
- Assemble the Pot Pies: Combine the frozen mixed vegetables and chopped rotisserie chicken into the slightly cooled mushroom sauce, stirring well to blend the filling evenly. Evenly distribute the filling into each of the 6 prepared baking dishes, aiming for about 2 cups of filling per serving.
- Top with Pastry: Gently place a prepared pastry square on top of the filling in each dish. Press down the corners so they stick to the sides of the dish but avoid pushing the pastry down into the filling to maintain the separation and texture contrast.
- Bake to Perfection: Place the baking sheet with the dishes in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes at 400°F. Then, increase the oven temperature to 450°F, move the pies to the top rack, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The puff pastry should puff up, become flaky, and develop a rich golden-brown color indicating that the pot pies are fully cooked and ready to serve.
Notes
- Use thawed puff pastry for easier handling and best texture.
- Adjust salt and seasoning at the end if needed.
- These pot pies can be frozen before baking; if freezing, skip the egg wash and bake from frozen, increasing cooking time accordingly.
- For a gluten-free option, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and use gluten-free puff pastry.
- Leftover pot pies can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven for best texture.
