Amazing 6 chicken hand pies joyfully

Let’s talk about chicken hand pies because, honestly, these savory little pockets are about to change your weeknight routine! I’m Anna, and I’m obsessed with making simple, flavorful chicken recipes that actually make everyday cooking feel joyful instead of like a chore. If you’re anything like me, you need comfort food that travels well, reheats like a dream, and doesn’t require you to sit down with a fork and knife.

I’ve spent years tinkering with fillings and crusts to make sure my classic American comfort food recipes—like these creamy chicken hand pies—are accessible to busy home cooks. We’re talking tender chicken, sweet veggies, and a sauce so rich you’ll want to dip everything in it. Trust me, these aren’t just snacks; they’re hearty, satisfying dinners wrapped up in the flakiest crust you can buy ready-made. Get ready to fall in love with this handheld meal!

Assembling Your Creamy Chicken Hand Pies Ingredients

Gathering everything first makes the process so much smoother, especially when we’re moving fast on a weeknight. Since this recipe yields six perfect hand pies, make sure you have all your components ready to go before you even think about turning on the stove. The filling needs to cool slightly before we put it on the dough, so organization is key here!

Pie Crust and Assembly Components

You’ll need two refrigerated pie crusts, which usually come in a standard 14-ounce package. We’re using the easy route here! For sealing and that gorgeous golden top, beat one egg with just one teaspoon of water—that’s your egg wash. Also, keep some all-purpose flour handy for dusting your work surface so the dough doesn’t stick while we’re cutting.

Filling Base and Aromatics for Your Chicken Hand Pies

Start off with a quarter cup of cold, unsalted butter, which we’ll melt down. You’ll want half a cup of yellow onion, diced nice and small so it melts right into the sauce. Now, the star: you must have two cups of cooked, shredded chicken ready to go. Make sure that chicken is already cooked through and reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit before it comes anywhere near this filling.

Creating the Creamy Sauce for Chicken Hand Pies

This is where the magic happens! For the sauce base, we use a quarter cup of flour to make our roux, along with half a teaspoon each of dried thyme, salt, and pepper for that classic savory flavor. Then, slowly whisk in one cup of low-sodium chicken broth, followed by one cup of whole milk. These liquids are what build that luxurious, thick sauce texture around our chicken and veggies.

Essential Equipment for Perfect Chicken Hand Pies

You don’t need a whole arsenal of fancy gadgets for these, thank goodness! A sturdy saucepan is non-negotiable for building that creamy sauce base—you need room to whisk without splashing everywhere. Make sure you have a standard baking sheet ready to go, lined with parchment paper, which is my secret weapon against sticking.

The most important tool for shaping these is something round, like a 6-inch bowl or a large biscuit cutter, to get those perfect circles. And always have a fork handy; you’ll need it for sealing the edges and making those little vents on top. Simple tools, amazing results, that’s what I love!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Chicken Hand Pies

Okay, now that everything is measured and ready, let’s put this delicious filling together. Remember, we need to work quickly but carefully here, especially when we get to the dough later. I like to put the filling mixture into a bowl and stick it in the fridge for about ten minutes while I prep the crusts—that cooling time is crucial!

Preparing the Creamy Chicken Filling

First things first: get your oven cranked up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now, back to the saucepan. Melt that quarter cup of butter over medium heat. Toss in your diced onions and cook them down for about three minutes until they start looking soft and translucent. Don’t let them brown at all!

Next, we build the roux, which is the thickener. Sprinkle in the flour, dried thyme, salt, and pepper right over those onions. Stir this constantly for two full minutes. This step cooks out the raw flour taste, which is super important for a good sauce! After two minutes, start pouring in the chicken broth very slowly while you whisk like crazy to avoid lumps. Once the broth is incorporated, pour in the milk and keep whisking. Let this simmer gently for about three to four minutes until you see it start coating the back of a spoon heavily.

Take the pan off the heat immediately. Stir in your frozen peas and carrots, and then fold in those two cups of already cooked and shredded chicken. Give it another three minutes, just to heat everything through, and then set it aside to cool down a bit. If you’re using pre-cooked chicken, just double-check that it hit that 165 degrees internal temperature before adding it in—safety first, always!

Forming and Sealing Your Chicken Hand Pies

Lightly flour a clean surface. Unroll those two refrigerated pie crusts. Now, grab your 6-inch bowl or cutter and press down firmly to cut out six nice, even circles. If you have scraps, gently gather them, pat them into a disk, and roll them out again to get your final circles. You should have six total.

Take one dough circle and spoon about a third of a cup of that slightly cooled filling right onto one half of the circle. Don’t overfill, or they’ll burst! Brush the edges of the dough with your egg wash—that’s the beaten egg and water mixture. Fold the empty half of the dough right over the filling and press the edges together firmly. Use a fork to crimp all the way around the edge. That fork pressure is what seals them tight so the creamy filling stays inside while baking. Place the assembled pies onto your prepared, lined baking sheet.

Baking for Golden Perfection in Your Chicken Hand Pies

Brush the remaining egg wash over the entire top surface of each assembled hand pie. This gives you that beautiful, shiny, golden-brown finish. Then, take your fork again and poke two or three small slits right on top of each pie. These are vents, and they let the steam escape so your crust doesn’t balloon up weirdly!

Bake these beauties in your preheated 425-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes. You’re looking for crusts that are deeply golden brown and look wonderfully crisp. Even though the chicken was cooked, we are baking the whole thing through, so keep an eye on them until they look done. Once they come out, let them rest on the sheet for just five minutes before carefully moving them. That brief rest helps the filling set up just a little bit before you try to eat them!

Why You Will Love These Savory Chicken Hand Pies

I honestly can’t get enough of these little packages of joy. They take the best parts of a comforting chicken pot pie and turn it into something you can eat standing up while packing lunches or watching TV. Seriously, these are a game-changer for busy days!

• Quick Assembly: Using refrigerated dough and pre-cooked chicken keeps the prep time under 30 minutes, which is fantastic for weeknights.
• Satisfying Texture: You get that perfect contrast between the flaky, golden crust and the rich, velvety creamy chicken filling inside.
• Total Portability: These are perfect for meal prep, packing in lunch boxes, or taking on a picnic—no spills, just pure handheld goodness.
• Classic Comfort Flavor: That savory mix of thyme, onion, milk, and chicken is pure, warm comfort food wrapped up neatly.

Tips for Success When Making Chicken Hand Pies

Even with a simple recipe like this, a couple of little tricks can take your chicken hand pies from good to absolutely phenomenal. The biggest potential pitfalls are usually related to dough temperature and making sure that creamy filling stays exactly where it belongs—inside the crust!

Handling the Dough and Sealing Technique

When you roll out your dough scraps, try not to work them too much. If the dough gets warm, it gets sticky and tough, so work fast! I always keep my scraps chilled slightly between rerolling. When you’re spooning in that filling, be generous but not greedy—I found that using about a third of a cup is the sweet spot. If you pile it too high, the dough just won’t close right. When you seal it with the fork, press down hard and make sure you get a solid crimp all the way around. That tight seal is your insurance policy against leakage!

Achieving a Golden, Flaky Crust on Your Chicken Hand Pies

The egg wash isn’t just for looks; it helps the crust brown beautifully. Make sure you brush it evenly over the entire top surface, getting right up to the sealed edges. A thin layer is all you need. And please, please don’t skip poking those vents! Those little slits are mandatory because the filling is very moist. If the steam has nowhere to go, it will aggressively push up against the dough, which can cause your perfectly sealed pie to burst open and leak that creamy goodness all over your baking sheet. We want the filling *inside* for eating, not *outside* for cleaning!

Storing and Reheating Leftover Chicken Hand Pies

If you manage to have any of these creamy chicken hand pies left over—which I doubt, they disappear fast!—storing and reheating them is super easy. The best way to enjoy them later is reheating them in the oven, just like the first time. This keeps the crust wonderfully crisp instead of letting it get soggy like it might in the microwave. You want that flaky texture back!

Make sure they are completely cooled before you wrap them up, though. Storing warm food traps moisture, and that’s a recipe for a sad, soggy bottom crust the next day. We are aiming for maximum flakiness on reheat!

Storage Guidelines Table

Storage Location	Duration	Reheating Method
Refrigerator	Up to 3 days	Bake at 350\u00b0F for 10-12 minutes
Freezer (Unbaked)	Up to 1 month	Bake from frozen at 400\u00b0F for 25-30 minutes
Freezer (Baked)	Up to 2 months	Bake at 375\u00b0F for 15 minutes

Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Hand Pies

I get so many questions after people try these for the first time! They are surprisingly versatile, but a couple of points always come up when folks are trying to master the technique for a perfect handheld dinner.

Can I assemble these chicken hand pies ahead of time?

Yes, you absolutely can! This is great for meal prepping. Go ahead and assemble the pies completely—sealing them with the fork and all—but don’t brush on the egg wash yet. Place them on the baking sheet, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and pop them into the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, brush them with the egg wash and poke those necessary vents right before they go into the hot oven.

What is the best way to ensure the filling is creamy?

The secret to that luxurious, creamy chicken filling is all in the roux! You must cook the flour and butter mixture for a full two minutes before adding any liquid. This cooks out the raw taste. Then, when you add the broth and milk, you have to whisk slowly and constantly. Let that sauce simmer until it’s visibly thick before you take it off the heat. If it seems thin when it’s hot, don’t panic; it thickens up beautifully once it cools down a little!

Can I substitute the chicken broth?

Since we are aiming for a savory flavor profile, the best non-alcoholic swap for the low-sodium chicken broth would be a good quality vegetable broth. It keeps the sodium down while still providing that savory depth that works so well with the thyme and onion. If you use a very salty vegetable broth, you might want to cut back a bit on the added salt in the roux step and taste as you go!

Estimating the Nutrition for Your Homemade Chicken Hand Pies

When I’m cooking for my family, I always try to keep an eye on what we’re eating, even with comfort food! Since these chicken hand pies are made from scratch using whole ingredients, you have a pretty good handle on what’s going into them, which is much better than any frozen dinner. I ran the numbers based on the recipe for one serving, but remember, these are just my best estimates, so treat them as a guideline!

Nutritional Breakdown Table

Nutrient	Estimated Value (Per Hand Pie)
Calories	460
Total Fat	24g
Carbohydrates	34g
Protein	22g

It’s great to see that good hit of protein from the chicken, which keeps these savory pies really satisfying! Just use this table as a quick reference point while you enjoy every flaky bite.

Share Your Experience Making These Chicken Hand Pies

I truly hope these creamy chicken hand pies become a regular in your rotation! Once you try them, I’d absolutely love to hear what you thought. Did they make for an easy weeknight dinner? Let me know how they turned out by leaving a rating below or snapping a photo and sharing it with the community. Your feedback helps me keep making recipes that bring more joy to your kitchen! Follow along for more inspiration!

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