Simple mini chicken and mushroom pies with puff pastry 🇬🇧

Mini Chicken and Mushroom Pies are small puff pastry pots with a lid, filled with creamy, thyme-infused chicken and mushroom sauce, perfect for individual servings.

Recipe Intro

Traditionally, the pie is made using shortcrust pastry for the base and puff pastry for the lid. They are often enjoyed as a comforting meal at home, served with sides such as mashed potatoes or peas. In pubs and bakeries/supermarkets across the UK, individual portions are sold as a quick lunch or snack.

This dish has been a part of British cuisine for centuries, stemming from the tradition of meat pies, originally designed as a portable and preservable way to use leftover meats. There are many regional and personal variations, with some including additions like leeks, bacon, and herbs.

This recipe is a mini version of the classic large round pie, traditionally made for family gatherings.
These super cute mini pies are perfect for individual servings and ideal for parties or quick meals.
I used puff pastry for the base and the lid, creating a light, flaky, and delicious treat.

Mini Chicken and Mushroom Pie Ingredients

Chicken:
This dish is perfect for using up leftover roast chicken.
Recently, I made this whole stuffed roasted chicken, Spanish style. We ate most of the meat, but some was left on the bones. After stripping the remaining meat off, I had enough to fill a small bowl, so I used it for this recipe.
If you don’t have leftovers, fresh chicken works just as well. Simply cut it into small pieces and sauté it with onions in a little oil for 7-10 minutes, then continue preparing the dish as you would with the leftover chicken.

Pastry:
One sheet of standard-sized puff pastry makes 6 mini pies. This recipe calls for puff pastry, but if you prefer, you can use shortcrust pastry for the base and puff pastry for the lid instead.
I served 2 pies per person with accompanying sides, but if served alone, 3 pies would be enough per person. So, 6 mini pies can serve 2 to 3 people.

• pastry – Buy ready-made puff pastry sheets.
• chicken – Use chicken roast leftovers or any other chicken leftovers. You can also prepare the pies with fresh chicken.
• mushrooms – Buy portobello or chestnut mushrooms, or use both!
• herbs – Thyme, parsley and chives as optional.
• butter – Use unsalted so you can adjust the saltiness
• flour – Plain white or all-purpose flour.
• white wine – Any white of your choice.
• fromage frais – You can substitute with Philadelphia or a similar cream cheese
• milk
• double cream
• onion, garlic
• egg

How to make mini chicken and mushroom pies

1. Prepare the chicken

• If you bought fresh chicken, cut it into small pieces, add salt and pepper and sauté it with finely chopped onion in sunflower or olive oil for 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

• If you’re using leftover chicken, strip the meat off the bones, then either shred it or cut it into small pieces, depending on your preferred texture for the filling.
  You can use any leftover chicken meat, such as breast, drumsticks, or even chicken escalope or nuggets.

• Roux: Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot, add the flour and cook for a few moments until bubbles form. Next, gradually pour in the milk, whisking quickly to prevent any lumps from forming.
• Once the mixture becomes creamy and smooth, add the chopped chicken and stir to combine.

4. Assemble mini chicken and mushroom pies

It’s best to use a muffin or cupcake tin for this recipe.

• Roll out the pastry and use a round cutter or a wide cup to cut out circles. Ensure each circle is large enough to cover the entire muffin cup and slightly overhang the edges.
• Grease the muffin tin thoroughly with butter. Then, carefully place the round pastry circles into each mould, gently pressing them in. Be cautious if you have long nails, as you don’t want to puncture the pastry, this could cause the filling to leak during baking.
• Fill each pastry cup with the prepared filling.
• Next, cut out slightly smaller round pieces of pastry to cover each filled cup. Let the edges overlap a little, so you can press them down to fully seal the cups, preventing any filling from spilling out while baking.
• Tear off small pieces of pastry and place them in the centre of each pie for an extra touch.

5. Baking mini chicken and mushroom pies

• Brush the pastry lid with a beaten egg, also, coat the edges where the pastry is sealed.
• Place the tray in a preheated oven at 180°C and bake the pies for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Carefully remove the pies from the tin and serve while hot.

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