Chicken Hand Pies

overhead shot of Chicken Hand Pies on a wooden board

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken hand pies are stuff full of delicious pot pie filling and are a fun finger food for busy weeknights.

Prep Time35

Cook Time10

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken Hand Pies Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 358kcal

Ingredients

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
½ cup yellow onion, diced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken broth, or 1 cup water plus 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon
1¼ cups whole milk
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts, 1 standard 14-ounce 2-pack
1 egg yolk, beaten (plus 1 teaspoon water)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute until onion is translucent (3 to 4 minutes).
Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour mixture begins to brown (3 to 4 minutes).
Slowly stir or whisk chicken broth and whole milk into the flour mixture. Stir constantly while pouring just a bit at a time to make a smooth mixture.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly to ensure milk does not burn on the bottom of the pan. Cook until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
Stir in cream cheese, frozen vegetables, and diced chicken. Stir to mix evenly.
Prepare pie crusts by removing pie crust from packaging. Unroll one crust on a lightly floured surface. It is important to keep the crusts thick enough to hold the pie filling, so I did not roll the crusts out any thinner than they came in the package. Use a bowl, placed upside down, to cut out two circles from the dough. Gently gather together the scraps, roll out just enough to cut two additional circles (you may even need to do one at a time).
Place three crust circles onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Place a scoop of filling into the center of the circle.
Use a fork to beat the egg yolk with water.
Brush a bit of the egg yolk wash around the edge of the circle to help the sides seal. Now, fold the pie crust in half to form a crescent shape. Press down (work from the outer edge in) and then crimp with your fingers or a fork to seal the edges. Brush the whole hand pie with the egg wash. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the top of the pies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pies are golden brown and the crust is crispy. The filling is already cooked so we’re really just cooking the crust here.

Notes

If the crusts are too thin, the pie will split apart during baking.
Only a couple of tablespoons of the filling mixture will fit in the pie. Do not overfill.
The egg yolk wash will give the hand pies a nice golden sheen. It is also really helpful to seal the edges together. For the best seal, be sure that the filling and/or any excess flour is away from the edge of the dough.
I found that pinching the edges of the dough provides a better seal than crimping with the tines of a fork; just make sure you press edges together well so that they seal.

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