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Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies — Or make ’em with leftover turkey!

These easy Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies are straight up comfort food for a chilly day — and, they’re also great with leftover turkey!

Remember the other day when I made a simple roast chicken, and then was mentioning some of the additional great meals you can put together with leftover cooked chicken? Leftover chicken is just the best — as are these Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies that I scratched up with my own cooked shredded chicken leftovers this week. (This would be a great use for leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, too!)

What inspired these hand pies today? Well, I recently saw a recipe for hand pies using refrigerated pie crust, deli turkey, Swiss cheese, and sliced pear in a magazine, and the idea of making hand pies stuck in my head. But, I had no deli turkey, Swiss, or pear on hand (and am a little unsure on the Swiss/pear combo)… and then I lost the recipe I tore out to refer to later…

cooked leftover chicken hand pies

So instead, I thought I’d just make up my own hand pies using ingredients from my refrigerator. Winner, winner, chicken hand pie dinner! This here is an completely unapologetic comfort food recipe, because it’s raining, it’s cold, the trees are getting bare already, and it was just that kind of day around here.

Perhaps (as I did…) you wasted some of your misspent youth eating Hot Pockets? These chicken broccoli cheddar hand pies are kind of like those, but taken to a whole. other. level. — and without the weird chemical aftertaste. You could even make these slightly better by making your own pie crust, but I took the easy way out by using refrigerated. Comfort food mission, accomplished!

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies

Ingredients

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 of a medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped small (about half of the 1 lb pack at ALDI)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1.5 cups cooked shredded chicken
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
One box refrigerated pie crust (both crusts)
One egg

Directions

Remove cream cheese from the refrigerator and place it on the counter to soften about 20 minutes before you start cooking. When you’re ready to begin, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and remove pie crusts from the refrigerator to soften as directed on the box.

sauteed broccoli

Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook for two minutes. Add broccoli florets, garlic, and crushed red pepper, then saute for about five more minutes, until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chicken, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and thyme in a large bowl, then stir in the broccoli once it is cooked.

Unroll the pie crusts and cut each into 4-8 equal wedges, so that you have 8-16 pieces total between the two crusts.*

Spoon equal amounts of the chicken/broccoli mixture into the center of half of the pie crust wedges, and top each with a second matching wedge. Fold the edges over on each and crimp them together so that the filling doesn’t leak out, then arrange the hand pies on a rimmed baking sheet.

steps to making hand pies

Beat one egg with 1 tsp water to make an egg wash. Brush each hand pie with the egg wash, and cut a couple of small slits in the top of each to let steam escape. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until hand pies are golden brown.

Note: I cut my pie crusts into quarters, which were big for one person — I’d suggest going with sixths instead, and therefore am calling this a recipe that serves six. You can also cut the crusts into eighths to make 8 smaller hand pies, especially if you’re serving kids.

Hand Pies… Hand Pies… Hand Pies — Eat those crazy hand pies!

cut open hand pie

What a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken! These chicken broccoli cheddar hand pies are super filling and super comforting on a cool fall day, and have a lot going on with their creamy cheesy filling, chewy chicken & broccoli, and flaky pie crust. (These are also great made with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving…)

Since hand pies are on the heavier side, I suggest just serving them with fruit or a simple green salad for a complete meal.

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies, printable recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Hand Pies

Perhaps (as I did…) you wasted some of your misspent youth eating Hot Pockets? These chicken broccoli cheddar hand pies are kind of like those, but taken to a whole. other. level. — and without the weird chemical aftertaste.
Course dinner
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 of a medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped small (about half of the 1 lb pack at ALDI)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1.5 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • One box refrigerated pie crust (both crusts)
  • One egg

Instructions

  • Remove cream cheese from the refrigerator and place it on the counter to soften about 20 minutes before you start cooking. 
  • When you’re ready to begin, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and remove pie crusts from the refrigerator to soften as directed on the box.
  • Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook for two minutes. 
  • Add broccoli florets, garlic, and crushed red pepper, then saute for about five more minutes, until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender.
  • Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chicken, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and thyme in a large bowl, then stir in the broccoli once it is cooked.
  • Unroll the pie crusts and cut each into 4-8 equal wedges, so that you have 8-16 pieces total between the two crusts.
  • Spoon equal amounts of the chicken/broccoli mixture into the center of half of the pie crust wedges, and top each with a second matching wedge.
  •  Fold the edges over on each and crimp them together so that the filling doesn’t leak out, then arrange the hand pies on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Beat one egg with 1 tsp water to make an egg wash. Brush each hand pie with the egg wash, and cut a couple of small slits in the top of each to let steam escape. 
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until hand pies are golden brown.

Notes

I cut my pie crusts into quarters, which were big for one person — I’d suggest going with sixths instead, and therefore am calling this a recipe that serves six. You can also cut the crusts into eighths to make 8 smaller hand pies, especially if you’re serving kids.

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Recipe Rating




Meredith

Monday 16th of May 2022

I love this meal!! I found it a bit time consuming to do individual pies though. So I now mix up the insides and put it in a casserole dish and then drape the pie crust on top. I also sometimes use frozen broccoli to save time. I now call it broccoli cheddar hand pie casserole 😂

rachel

Tuesday 24th of May 2022

That is an excellent idea -- I love it!

Tracee

Sunday 25th of July 2021

I made these today, so amazing. To the person asking about alternatives to Cream Cheese, I saw another recipe that used sour cream. The only reason for the cream cheese to just make sure it's not dried out and stays creamy inside. I would use only a little bit of CC maybe a fourth cup or so. See the other versions on Pinterest, that's how I got here.

Chris

Friday 6th of September 2019

Any alternative to the cram cheese? I loathe cream cheese 😂 Thanks!

rachel

Saturday 7th of September 2019

I haven't tried, but you could maybe up the quantity of cheddar, or do a pizza sauce mozzarella kind of thing to make them more hot-pocket-y (I'd not use thyme then, use something like oregano), or -- play with it depending what you do like.

Bethany

Tuesday 13th of November 2018

This would make a great after Thanksgiving idea too with Turkey, and some of the sides! Yum!

rachel

Tuesday 13th of November 2018

They are GREAT with turkey. Trust me. :)

Michelle

Sunday 5th of November 2017

Really yummy and made great leftovers for lunch!