Mini Apricot Rosemary Chicken Pies

Mini Apricot Rosemary Chicken Pies bring some rustic charm to any potluck or dinner party! Make a batch ahead of time for an easy meal when you need one. Inspired by Inn at the Crossroads.

Servings pies

Ingredients

1 pound chicken, pre-cooked and shredded
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
½ cup fennel, diced
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon rosemary leaves, diced (see note)
Double batch of your favorite pie dough (enough to make two double-crusted pies)
1 egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Apricot Sauce

8 ounces apricot jam
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth

Necessary Tools:

Two regular-sized non-stick muffin tins
6- inch round cookie cutter (or template to trace over dough)
3- inch round cookie cutter (or template to trace over dough)

Instructions

Make the chicken pie filling:

Melt two tablespoons butter in a hot pan over medium heat. Sauté the carrots, celery, and fennel with salt and pepper until soft, about 15-20 minutes.
Melt the remaining two tablespoons butter with the vegetables and add the rosemary (if using). Add in the chicken, and sprinkle the two tablespoons of flour over top. Stir the mixture to coat and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes to heat through. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Make the apricot sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together the apricot jam, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to medium low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is reduced by a third to one-half of the original volume.
Return the pan with the chicken mixture to the burner over medium high heat. Stir in the apricot sauce and sauté for about five minutes until the chicken is well coated and heated through. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. For best results, chill the filling in the fridge for an hour or overnight, until cool to the touch.

Assemble the chicken pies and bake:

Heat the oven to 375°F and prepare your muffin tins. Spritz the inside of the muffin molds with non-stick cooking spray and set aside, away from the preheating oven so that they stay room temperature.
Work with the pie dough in batches, keeping unused portions in the fridge to keep cold. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Using a cookie cutter or stencil, cut out 6-inch circles from the dough and press them gently into each muffin cup – You should use about two-thirds of the dough for the bottom crusts. The circles don’t have to be perfect, but you should try to have at least a quarter inch of dough overlapping the top of the cups.
Fill each crust nearly to the top with about 2 spoonful’s of the chilled filling and place the muffin tin back into the fridge to keep cold as you prepare the pastry lids.
Roll out the remaining third of the pie dough to the same thickness as the bottom crusts and cut out 3-inch circles. Set the pastry lids out on a tray or baking sheet, and cut hashmarks in the centers to allow for steam to vent while cooking.
Remove the chilled muffin tins from the fridge. Working one at a time, place each pie top over the filling of each pie. Crimp the edges of the pie over the lid, sealing them tightly. Once all the pies are constructed, brush the tops with egg wash.
Bake the chicken pies for 30-40 minutes, until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven, and let them sit for 10 minutes before gently removing them from the muffin tins. Serve warm, or follow instructions below for cooling and storage.

Notes

Pie Dough Recipes: You can use any double-crust pie dough you like for this recipe (including store bought!). I suggest using one that is all or part butter, like this Part Butter/Part Shortening Easy Pie Dough from Gesine Bullock-Prado.
To Freeze and Store: Once your pies are cooked, let them come to just about room temperature on a cooling rack. Transfer the pies to a single baking sheet, and freeze individually (about 2 hours). Stack the frozen pies into freezer-safe containers or gallon bags and keep stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat your pies, arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in a preheated oven set to 375°F for 15-20 minutes.
Choosing an Apricot Jam: You can use any simple store-bought or homemade apricot jam in this recipe. In one of my tests, I used homemade apricot rosemary jam, and it was so good! If you use a jam with rosemary already in it, you may want to decrease (or omit) the fresh rosemary listed in the recipe so as not to overpower the pies with the herb.