Mini Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pies

We've got another "off" week this week, so there isn't much of a meal plan to share. Instead, I'm sharing yet another recent hit in the kitchen: mini gluten-free chicken pot pies.

It seems like all the magazines I subscribe to sent me a sample of the new AllRecipes.com magazine a couple months ago. It was a welcome addition, though, because I found some interesting new recipes I'd like to try, including this one for Chicken Pot Pie.

The magazine recommended turning the one pot pie into mini pot pies using five-inch mini ramekins, which I just so happen to own! And I thought little mini pies would be cuter and more fun to eat than one large pie.

However, the recipe in the magazine confused me. I thought that the recipe from the magazine was a conversion from one big pie to the small pies. But I had TONS of filling left over. When I re-read the instructions, it almost seemed like the AllRecipes.com people made one regular pot pie and four smaller ones. (Why would you even want to do that?, is my question. If you're going to make a regular pot pie, you're going to eat a regular pot pie. Why bother with a couple small ones? But I digress.)

So, basically, cut this recipe in half unless you own 12 mini ramekins and want to make 12 mini pot pies instead of six. (I only own a set of six mini ramekins.)

And if you want to make them gluten-free, here is how:

Ingredients (note: I have already cut this recipe in half. You will end up with enough to make 6 mini pot pies.)
1 tub of Pillsbury pre-made refrigerated gluten-free pie & pastry dough
1/2 pound of skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup sliced celery
2 tbsp. and 2 tsp. of butter
2 tbsp. and 2 tsp. gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp. gluten-free chicken broth
1/3 cup milk (we used almond milk)
6 mini ramekins

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
3. In the same saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick, and then remove from heat and set aside.
4. Spray the mini ramekins with cooking spray.
5. Take the Pillsbury dough and divide it into two equal balls. Take one ball and knead it until the dough becomes soft and easy to handle. Then flatten it either with a rolling pin or your hands. (Doesn't have to be perfect. The dough was easier to handle with my hands.)
5. Divide the flattened dough into six equal sections, and lay those flat sections in the mini ramekins so that the bottom and sides are covered.
6. Fill the ramekins with the chicken mixture. Then pour the hot liquid mixture on top of the chicken mixture.
7. Take the second ball of Pillsbury dough and repeat step 5.
8. Divide the flattened dough into six equal sections, and lay those flat sections on top of the mini ramekins, sealing the edges. Cut three slits into the top of each pot pie.
9. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool before serving.

If you have any questions about this, please let me know! This was such a delicious dinner and a big hit with my husband, so I definitely want to answer your questions to help you make this awesome dinner at your house.

I really love that I was able to use the pre-made gluten-free pie dough. Who has time to make their own pie dough? I found the Pillsbury gluten-free dough at my local A&P. I believe they also sell it at my local ShopRite. Hopefully, you're able to find it at a store near you. If you can't, tell the manager of your grocery store to start carrying it!