Individual Chicken Pot Pie

I love anything that is cute and individual portion sized. That is why I decided to make chicken pot pie in little ramekins instead of one big pot pie. They are perfect for a dinner party, or for just my husband and I and freeze the rest for easy dinners!

What you will need:
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Paprika
5 cups chicken stock (or water with bouillon cubes or consommé added)
½  stick unsalted margarine
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups medium-diced carrots
1 cup button mushrooms sliced
1 head broccoli cut into florets 
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 ½ cups frozen small whole onions (optional)
½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:
Pie dough (recipe here) or any store-bought pastry or pie dough sheets

Place the chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 

Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the water (or stock) and dissolve the chicken consommé flavoring in the water. 
In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add in the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. 

Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the cubed chicken, peas, mushrooms, broccoli, onions and parsley. Mix well.

Once the pie dough is made, dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Divide the filling equally among 6 ovenproof bowls. 

Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to ½-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. 

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Enjoy!