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1
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion, carrots and celery.
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2
Cook, stirring the vegetables around, until they start to soften, about 3 minutes.
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3
Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine.
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4
Cook the flour-coated veggies for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth (and wine, if using!)
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5
and stir to combine.
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6
Let it heat up and start to bubble and thicken, about 3 minutes.
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7
Stir in the chicken, then add the turmeric and thyme, then season with salt and pepper.
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8
Add the half-and-half, then stir the mixture and let it bubble up and thicken, about 3 minutes.
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9
If it seems overly thick, splash in a little more broth.
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10
Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.
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11
Meanwhile, roll out the pie crusts slightly and cut out 8 dough circles just a bit larger than the pie pans (if using a muffin tin, you'll need sixteen 3 3/4-inch circles).
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12
Press a dough circle into each pie pan (or 8 muffin cups), making sure the dough comes almost to the top of each pan.
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13
Fill the pies with the chicken mixture.
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14
Lay a second round of dough over the top of each pie.
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15
Press the dough so that the edges meet, then use a fork to seal the edges.
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16
Mix the egg with 2 teaspoons water and brush it all over the surface of the crust.
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17
(Discard any extra egg wash.) Cut small vents in the surface of the crusts.
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18
If you're baking the pies right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, place the pies on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
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19
Serve them straight out of the pie pans or turn them out of the pan and serve them upside down!
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20
Photograph by Steve Giralt
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21
Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).
