chicken hand pies

chicken-pasties-tx

Apparently, these are really called pasties in England, so you can call them whatever you want.

I decided on these for the winter picnic because I wanted something that was warm and not messy. I kept thinking of a calzone, but those can get tomato sauce everywhere if you aren’t careful. Plus, I wanted to make something that was a little more around-the-campfire-ish feeling, and I couldn’t think of anything more homey and inviting than a stew.

All I did was make a chicken stew, or the insides of a chicken pot pie. Then I cooked it inside a pie crust. They were really tasty, and perfect for an outside meal in the cold.

late-winter-picnic-11

chicken hand pies or chicken pasties

1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 14 ounce (400mL) can low sodium chicken stock
1 bouillon cube (I actually prefer Better than Bouillon–just use a tablespoon)
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
pastry dough (recipe follows)
1 egg, plus a teaspoon of water, beaten