Chicken Pot Pies

Want a perfect one-dish supper for the whole family?  These individual pot pies are a wonderful way to sneak in not one, but three veggies for your little ones!  An added bonus is that your independent toddlers and preschoolers will love that they get their own pot pie (not to mention that calling a savory dish "pie" tricks kiddos into thinking they're getting something sweet and therefore super tasty).  This recipe will serve 2-3 hearty portions or 4 "regular" portions.  Add a green salad on the side and you're ready to go!  For a date night in, try the same recipe this way.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken stock

flax seed, optional*

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

1 sheet puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375.

Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add olive oil and chicken and saute until cooked through, being careful not to overcook (the meat will cook a bit more in the oven, so if it's a little undercooked, that's ok).  Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Add corn and peas. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Add milk and stock and stir constantly until thick (5 minutes or so). Remove from heat. Add flax seed and spices, adjusting to taste.

Cut puff pastry in half and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut to fit four individual oven-proof bowls. Spoon filling into the bowls and place one circle of dough onto each, pressing the edges in to seal the pastry to the bowl. Cut a vent in the center. Use a pastry brush to "paint" the beaten egg on top.

Place pies on sheet pan and bake until golden, about 35 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Flax seed is a wonderful way to add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.  It aids in digestive health, reduces total cholesterol (but especially LDL, the bad cholesterol), and also reduces the risk of heart disease.  Get more info from my post on flax seed and flax seed oil here.