Ever since Sally gave me cute little red ramekins for Christmas, I’ve been thinking of meals to make in them. The first thing I made was some delicious breakfast casseroles, so I knew I was ready to move on to a dinner recipe. Luckily, the March issue of “Every Day with Rachel Ray” arrived, with a mini pot pie on the cover. Perfect! I opted to use my own recipe instead of Rachel’s (sorry, Rach) because I already know how tasty it is and thought it would be easy to go from a full-sized pot pie to mini ones.

I only made 4 mini pot pies, so I had some of the filling left. I didn’t want to throw it away, so I saved it for chicken pot pie soup. Yum! I just added a little bit of water and some pepper, for a tasty mug of homemade soup.

The recipe below will easily make 6 mini pot pies, and probably eight of them. I use fresh chicken breasts, but you can easily substitute one of those roasted chickens you get at the store. You will need about 2 cups of cooked meat. Also, feel free to add some cooked potatoes to the mix, as I sometimes do.  With or without potatoes, this is comfort food at some of its finest!

Ingredients (Makes 6-8 servings)

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup good white wine (maybe a little more)
• Sea salt to taste
• Ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup sweet onion, diced small
• ½ cup celery, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (or use homemade if you have it)
• 1 ½ cups fat-free half and half
• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• Prepared pie crust
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Heat the butter in a large skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and add the pan. Brown each breast on both sides, and then add the wine and sauté for 15 minutes or so, until the chicken has cooked all the way through. Cool and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to make a smooth, thick paste. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add the half and half, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chicken, peas and carrots, and sautéed onions, celery and garlic. Mix well.

Roll out one of the pie crusts. Cut the crust into circles that are a little bit larger than your ramekins. I used a soup mug for this step.

Spray the ramekins with cooking spray. Spoon in the pot pie mixture.

Top with the pie crust, crimping the sides to seal. Cut an “X” on the top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Beat the egg and water, and brush on the top of each crust.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.) Bake for 20-15 minutes, until the tops are a nice golden brown.

Serve with crusty bread or a tossed salad and some of that white wine you opened to cook the chicken with.

These are great for dinner, but would also make a great main dish for a luncheon if you have enough ramekins (or a small guest list.) Individual little meals like this make people feel special because it comes across that you made something just for them.

Up next in ramekin world? Mini desserts. Stay tuned!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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