Muffin Tin Pot Pies
Muffin Tin Pot Pies are kid-sized, customizable, nutrient-packed comfort food in a cup.
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot or Instant Pot
- 2 Large Glass Bowls
- 1 Chef Knife
- 1 Veggie Chopper
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Large Mesh Strainer
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 Muffin Tins
Ingredients
Filling
- 2-3 cups chicken (cooked, chopped) ~2 chicken breasts or 2 lb roaster chicken
- ~1 cup onion, peeled and finely chopped approx. 1 small onion
- ~1 cup carrots, peeled and finely chopped approx. 3 medium
- ~1 cup celery, finely chopped approx. 4 stalks
- 2 ½ Tbsp butter can substitute ghee or olive oil
- ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken or bone broth can use leftover broth from cooking chicken
- 1 cup milk can substitute dairy-free alternative
- 8.5 oz small can peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can potatoes, rinsed and chopped
Crust
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ⅔ cups whole wheat or whole wheat white flour
- ½ cup butter or lard can substitute coconut oil or dairy-free butter
- ½ cup oil avocado or olive
- ¼ tsp salt if using unsalted butter or oil
- 8-10 Tbsp iced water
Instructions
Filling
- Place chicken in an instant pot or slow cooker with at least 1 cup of broth or water (if using instant pot).
- Cook chicken for 8 minutes/lb (instant pot) or 4-6 hrs on high/8-10 hours on low (slow cooker).
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from the slow cooker to cool. Chop or shred and set aside.
- If using the broth, strain into a glass measuring cup and set aside.
- If making a butter crust, take butter out of the fridge to soften.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Using a veggie chopper or chef knife, finely chop the carrots, celery and onions and place into a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the butter or ghee and saute over medium-high heat for ~5-10 minutes until the veggies are softened and translucent.
- While the veggies are sauteing, combine the chicken broth and milk in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave for approximately 2 minutes to warm (this step isn’t required, but helps the mixture to boil and thicken more quickly).
- Once the veggies are soft, add the flour and stir for approximately 2 minutes to create a roux.
- Add chicken broth and milk (or warmed mixture) to the veggie roux. Reduce heat to medium, stirring almost constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Stir for 1-2 minutes until fully thickened.
- Stir in shredded chicken.
- Drain and rinse peas and potatoes (dice potatoes if necessary) and stir into the pot-pie mixture.
- Set mixture aside until crust is ready.
Crust
- Combine flour(s), salt, butter and oil with a pastry blender.
- Stir in ice water and use your hands to form into 2 equal-sized balls. If the dough is too crumbly, add an additional tablespoon of water until a smooth ball can be formed.
- Flatten the dough balls into disks and roll out one disk into a large rectangle (16x12”) onto waxed paper or pastry mat.
- Cut the rectangle into 12 fairly even squares (~3x4”).
- Press dough squares into muffin tins; roll crust edge under and crimp as desired.
- Repeat steps 3-5 with the second dough ball.
- Scoop ~3 Tbsp chicken pot pie filling (above) into each muffin tin.
- Bake for ~15 min until crust is flaky and pot-pie is bubbly.
Notes
*Multitasking and pre-prepping can help this recipe to go faster. While the chicken is cooking, begin working on steps 5 and beyond. You can also precook the chicken and/or make the crust dough in advance and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.