Deep Fried Honey

Season your chicken liberally with the cajun seasoning. If the cajun seasoning youre using is salt-free or low sodium you might want to add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, too. Set the chicken aside. 

Grab a large saute pan – those have higher walls than frying pans, and I suggest using one that’s at least 10″ across – and place it over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Once that happens, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Stir to coat in the butter, and allow to cook until the onions have softened slightly, about 5 minutes. 

Add the garlic and stir that to combine with the mirepoix. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Push the sauteed aromatics to the edges of the pan, clearing the center. Add the chicken to the pan and allow it to sear for 3 minutes, then pour in 1 cup of chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and one teaspoon of salt and give everything a good stir. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook down until the chicken is cooked through and the chicken broth has almost completely evaporated – about 12-15 minutes. You want to see some dancing on the surface of the pan, but not too much. We don’t want our filling to be too moist or it will affect the crust you wrap around it. 

When the filling is cooked down remove the pieces of chicken: we need to chop it up into small pieces. You can use a knife and cutting board, or you can add it to a bowl and use a hand mixer or serrated food chopper to break it up. It’s important that the chicken is broken down into small pieces because our Chicken Pot Pie Bites will be small. Once you’ve done this go ahead and add it back to the pan along with the peas and carrots. Stir until everything is well combined, then give it a taste. Add more kosher salt if your tastebuds tell you to, then remove the pan from heat. Allow it to cool while you prepare the pie crust and start on the gravy. 

Spread your pie crust out on your work surface. You’ll want to have rolled out the dough so it’s a bit thinner than it came; it should be about 10″ in diameter instead of the 9″ you started with. Use a 3-4″ biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out circles. Cut them out as close together as you can, then bring the scraps together into a dough round and roll that out, cutting as many circles as possible again. Repeat if you still have enough dough left over, then do this process again with the second roll of pie crust. I was able to get 6 4″ circles from each pie crust but it can vary. Arrange the circles on a baking sheet and place it in the fridge to chill.

Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and add the remaining salted butter. Let it melt and become foamy, then add the flour. Whisk the flour and butter together into a paste – it’ll be thick and grainy, that’s OK – then allow it to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. We want to get rid of the flour taste. 

Once the butter and flour mixture has deepened in color just a tad, go ahead and begin slowly pouring in the milk and remaining chicken broth, whisking as you go. Once all of the liquids have been added add the seasonings: granulated garlic, onion powder, celery seed, parsley, dill, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and as much of the remaining salt as you’d like. 

Bring the gravy to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the gravy is slightly reduced and coats the back of a spoon. 

While the gravy is simmering go ahead and prepare a large pot for frying. Add enough oil to reach halfway up the sides – we’re deep frying! Place the pot over medium-high heat and preheat the oil to around 365°F degrees. Turn on your oven to the lowest setting (or “warm” if it has that) and place a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Pull the pie dough circles out of the fridge and let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes. We want them chilled but not too cold. They should feel cool to the touch, but shouldn’t be too stiff. Set up a workstation: your pie circles, the filling, and a shallow bowl filled with water.  

Pick up a pie circle and keep the center of it in the palm of your hand. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to add about 2 tablespoons or so of filling to the center. Dip your fingertips in the water and run them along the entire edge of the circle, all around the filling. Now, fold the pie circle over the filling, close it like a taco, pressing the filling back into the center, deeper into the pocket you’re forming if needed. If there’s too much filling remove some – don’t be tempted to overfill them or they’ll burst when frying. Press the moistened edges of the circle together tightly, then use your fingers or a fork to crimp them together tightly. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the pie circles. 

Now it’s time to fry. Your oil should be at the correct temperature. If it’s too hot just remove it from the heat until it cools down, then place it back over the burner. Gently add the Chicken Pot Pie Bites to the oil, only a few at a time. They need to have space to dance around without knocking into each other. Allow the pies to fry until golden brown and floating on the surface of the oil, which should take about 5-6 minutes. If they float before you get the color you want that’s OK, let them cook until it’s almost the color you want, then flip them over and cook until the other side matches. Not too long though – the color will deepen another shade from residual heat as it cools. Transfer the fried pies to the prepared baking sheet, and keep them in the oven while you cook the rest. 

When all the pies have been fried, you’re done! Serve the Chicken Pot Bites either in a bowl in a fairly shallow pool of gravy, or on a plate with a small cup of gravy for dipping on the side. Dassit!