Chicken Tot Pies

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

A crust made with broken-up tots puts a fun spin on this chicken pot pie made extra yummy with instant mashed potato flakes in the filling.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrot
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds frozen bite-sized potato nuggets (such as Ore-Ida® Tater Tots®)
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2 Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl.
3 Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon oil, celery, carrot, and onion to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
4 Return chicken to skillet along with stock, butter, whipping cream, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then stir in potato flakes. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in parsley.
5 Put tots in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring once per minute, until defrosted and broken up, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup oil until incorporated.
6 Set six 14- to 16-oz individual baking dishes on a large baking sheet. Divide chicken mixture among dishes. Top each with tots mixture, pressing down gently to flatten into a crust.
7 Bake in the preheated oven until filling is bubbly at the edges, about 30 minutes.
8 Preheat broiler to high and broil until crusts are browned and extra crisp, about 1 minute. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Let cool slightly before serving.