How Carla Hall Turns A Classic Pot Pie Into A Perfect Game Day Snack

Chicken pot pies have come a long way since the ancient Romans served them using living birds that would pop through the crust. Brought to the United States by English settlers, the dish became popular in the 1700s, but the American comfort food that we love today didn't emerge until the 1950s with the launch of the first Swanson frozen pot pie. Still, amazing chefs like Carla Hall, known for her co-hosting stint on ABC's "The Chew" and now for hosting Max's "Chasing Flavor," never stop reinventing it.

Hall got to the bottom of the chicken pot pie's history in the third episode of her new show (which aired in January 2024) and found that it has roots in the African diaspora. Mini pot pies with buffalo-style chicken filling were one of the dishes she discovered while making the show, and she visited "The Jennifer Hudson Show" in March 2024 to demonstrate how to make them. Hall paired the chicken-based filling with a cream cheese dough seasoned with celery seeds and pepper. After baking in a muffin pan, she serves this convenient gameday snack with a spicy blue cheese mayo.

While Hall showed how to turn chicken pot pies into miniature delights, she wasn't the first to make the pie buffalo style. Rachael Ray demonstrated how to make a buffalo chicken pot pie on her show in 2007 with the help of actress Teri Hatcher.

Buffalo style isn't the only flavor you can use inside your poppable chicken pot pies to enjoy as a quick or party snack. Even Carla Hall plays around with her recipe because chicken pot pie is one of her all-time favorites. Sometimes, she takes the simple route, pouring the filling over biscuits and adding more on top. Other times, she bakes cheddar-chive biscuits on top of the pot pie filling, or she breaks her pastries into half-moons and puts the filling in between so that you have a flaky crust on both sides.

By implementing Hall's muffin pan method, you can turn the filling of any recipe, including turkey pot pie, into a handheld delight. Consider scooping out a hole in cheddar-chive buttermilk biscuits and pouring your filling into them. On the other hand, you can use Martha Stewart's secret ingredients for chicken pot pies: diced butternut squash and mushroom caps. Mini mushroom and vegetable pot pies will give you umami satisfaction in just a couple of bites.