These Creamy and Cheesy Mini Chicken Pies (Chicken Hand Pies) are a breeze to make, and they are so scrumptious! Almost like mini chicken pot pies, but with the added goodness of cheese!
These mini chicken pies are a delicious appetizer recipe, and they are perfect for game day, parties, and entertaining.
These mini chicken pies are perfect as a game day snack
Let’s be honest. I’m not a sports person. That’s not in my DNA. Never was. Game day is a concept that I’m still getting used to. And when they say opposites attract, they probably had Mr K and myself in mind, because he really is my polar opposite when it comes to sports. He puts the fanatic in fan. All that yelling and screaming at the TV during games must mean something to him, though for the life of me, I will not get it.
BUT, there’s one thing that I DO LOVE about game day! And this might come as a complete shocker – but I DO LOVE food, drinks and all the awesome entertainment that comes with it! 🙂
So this year, I am going all out with some quality game day snacks, like these pork sausage rolls, fried cheese balls and pigs in a blanket, paired with this amazing spicy sweet chili sauce! And for dessert I’ll be making this balsamic swirl lime cheesecake!
But first entry in my game day menu – these gorgeous Creamy and Cheesy Mini Chicken Pies (Chicken Hand Pies)! Creamy and cheesy chicken pie filling made with sour cream, cheese, leeks and herbs, all encased in a beautifully flaky puff pastry.
And put away that dipping sauce, because these chicken hand pies are so flavourful, you don’t need anything else.
And with a snack this scrumptious, you need a good drink to go with it too. Which is why I paired these with this Woodbridge Chardonnay Wine!
I am and have always been a white wine girl. My choices usually go in this order – Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvgninon Blanc, Pinot Gris. And in the complete absence of white, then I will take red. I am Kiwi after all, and we take our wines very seriously!
This Woodbridge Chardonnay is said to have notes of pear, green apple with vanilla and floral notes. I liked the sound of it so much that I bought two bottles of it. I also made this creamy coq au riesling dish with this wine, and it was just as sublime!
And that’s why this wine when paired with these creamy, cheesy mini chicken pies is a match made in heaven! The pies are easy to put together, you can make them ahead of time and freeze, and then bake them on the day of the game (or party) and serve while they’re still hot. No need to slave over the stove, you can take part in the cheering and all the festivities along with your friends and family! 🙂
I made these gorgeous chicken hand pies with my homemade quick and easy Rough Puff Pastry recipe. But you’re more than welcome to use store-bought puff pastry too.
You get plenty of filling for these mini chicken pies from this recipe, and it can even be halved. You can also make larger pies or triangle pies (cut into squares, add the filling in the middle, then fold over to create a sealed triangle) as well.
I personally prefer round ones, because they just look pretty and dainty. I cut out about 40 circles to make 20 pies. Don’t over fill the bottom circle, as you have to stretch the top pastry circle on top as to stretch over the filling. Seal the edges with egg wash, and brush the top with some egg wash too, so that you get beautifully golden-brown shiny mini pies with an unbelievably satisfying, creamy and cheesy chicken filling.
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Ingredients:
Creamy Chicken and Cheese Filling
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ onion chopped
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 lb chicken breast cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 leek chopped and rinsed well
- 8 oz of Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 4 oz sour cream
- ¼ cup half and half
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp chopped chives
For the Pies
- 3 lbs of puff pastry you might end up with some leftover
- 2 small eggs beaten lightly with 1 tbsp of water egg wash
Instructions:
Creamy Chicken and Cheese Filling
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chopped onions and saute until they become translucent.
- Sprinkle in the flour and mix well till you have a smooth paste. Cook the flour for a couple of minutes.
- Add the Leeks, ½ tsp salt, chicken, sour cream and half n half. Mix well and cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 20 minutes on my stove).
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste, along with paprika, chives, and shredded cheese. Mix and simmer on low heat for a further 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Making the mini chicken pies
- Preheat oven to 375°F/200°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust your working surface with some flour. Roll out the puff pastry to about 2/8 of an inch thickness. If you are using puff pastry sheets, roll out the sheet as evenly as possible to about the same thickness.
- Using a 3 – 3.5 inch circle cutter, cut as many circles as you can (about 40-45).
- Brush the edge of one of the pastry circles with egg wash and place some cooled filling in the middle. Place the second pastry circle on top and press down along the edge with your fingers to seal. Next, crimp the edge using a fork.
- Optional – use the round cutter to cut cleanly and get neat edges.
- Place the pie on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pastry circles. Leave about 1 inch of space between the pies on the baking sheet.
- Brush the top liberally with egg wash, and make two slits on the top to allow air to escape.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or till the top is golden brown and puffed up.
- Serve warm.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
The creaminess of the chicken filling complements the sweetness of the wine perfectly. The wine and the pies definitely enhance the flavour profiles of each other. Seriously, the more we had them together, the better they tasted together. The fruity, floral notes of the Chardonnay came through even stronger.
I cannot say enough good things about these mini chicken pies. Buttery, flaky puff pastry with cheesy chicken filling, there’s simply nothing that can go wrong with that. They are so addictive, and they are almost like mini chicken pot pies with the added goodness of cheese of course.
And if you’re anything like me, forget the big game, you’ll end up with a cheesy chicken pie in one hand and a glass of Chardonnay in the other, and that’s all the fun and games that you’re ever going to need.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian option – check out these Eggplant and Cheese Hand pies and these cheesy mini French onion pies!
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Kathy says
I have just found your delicious recipes and can’t wait to try them. One question: What is “half and half” in the ingredients list?
Dini says
Hi Kathy! Thank you so much 😀 Half and half is quite uniquely American I think! 🙂 “Half and half” milk is like half milk and half cream 🙂 Instead of half and half you can use full cream milk, or single pouring cream (non whipping cream) or a mixture of the two. I hope that helps!
Melissa says
Hi! Just found your website, and these look so delicious! I’m going to try them soon, but I was wondering about freezing them. Would you bake and then freeze, or freeze before baking? And would you wrap them in something, or carefully place them in a freezer bag? (I’m just worried about the dough sticking.) thanks!
Ruwani says
Hi Dini,
Love your blog 🙂 These chicken pies looks so delicious !
BTW Dini I just wanted to tell you that I found your chicken pie pics and the recipe used in another website. I am not sure whether you are aware of it. This is the link to the website
http://completerecipes.com/mini-creamy-and-cheesy-chicken-pies.html.
Hope this helps .
Nimshi says
hey, i was born in sri lanka and iv been living in nz for really long time, i just want to say that your recipes are really helpful for me because i have a passion in cooking but its mainly a hobby for me
Dini says
Hi Nimshi! I grew up in NZ too! 🙂 Thank you for your lovely comment! I am really glad that you follow my blog and find my recipes helpful 🙂 Would love it if you shared any photos of recipes you made from the blog!
Carey says
Question, could these be made the night before & refrigerated until ready to bake early morning for a brunch?
Dini says
Hi Carey!
Absolutely! But you have to let the filling completely cool down before making the pies. If the filling is too warm, it can soak into the pastry and make it soggy. These mini pies can even be frozen, and baked from frozen too! Then they will need to be baked for a longer time to make sure the pastry is nice and golden 🙂
sabnam says
I tried this recipe and it turned out amazing! This was my first time trying to make chicken pie and puff pastry from scratch. I got so many compliments on the cute mini pies. In this is definitely my go to recipe for both chicken pie and puff pastry.
Dini says
Thank you so much Sabnam! I am so glad that you loved the recipe and even happier that you made it all from scratch! 🙂 I am so honoured that this is your go to recipe for chicken pie and puff pastry! 😀
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
LOVE these, Dini! I could definitely go for these yummies on game day!
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
Haha, I love the image of you cooking up a storm in the kitchen while your husband is yelling at the TV 😉 Depending on who is playing, it’s sort-of the same in my house! These handheld pies look amazing and yes, I will take a glass of wine, thank you very much! Cheers!
Diane says
I LOVE these! They look so flaky and delicious. I’m going to check out your puff pastry recipe too! Perfect game day food for sure. Or lunch box! #SaucySaturdays
Levan says
Look at the glaze on those pies! YUM!!!! Pinning this for future reference, thank you!
Claudia | Gourmet Project says
I feel the same about game days. And I’m keeping this recipe for this summer’s footbal europeans 😉
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
Love these!! And I love that they are mini because I’d be able to eat 3 and feel no guilt… right?!
Ramona W says
Wow! This sounds delicious! I would hide half of them in the kitchen and not share! 🙂
Ganu says
That looks amazing! I would gladly watch through a game if these were there 😛
HIlda says
These do look delicious. And thanks for the link to your puff pastry which I have copied for use.
AiPing | Curious Nut says
I never loved sports either… until I came to the US. I watched my first football game and I loved it! Not that I’m hooked but it’s really exciting to watch it. Maybe you will too…… sometime in the future. But for now, we can all enjoy game day food like these gorgeous pies.