Chicken Pie Muffins

This recipe is one of my favourites! I wanted to come up with something delicious and easy and this is what I created.

This recipe makes 12 muffins, with some leftover filling that can be used during plating.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

-2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

-4 strips bacon, cooked and cut into pieces similar in size to diced chicken

-1 can of mixed peas and carrots

-1 3/4 cup chicken stock

-1/2 cup half and half

-2 tablespoons butter

-2 tablespoons flour

-2 garlic cloves, diced

-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-salt and pepper

-puff pastry sheets (I used Tenderflake brand, and used the whole box, which is two squares)

Directions:

1. Begin by defrosting the puff pastry, I left mine on the counter 2 hours before cooking time

2. Once defrosted, roll out each half to about the size of a cookie sheet. It should make 6 rectangles out of each half, so 12 rectangles total, enough to fill a muffin tin.

3. Using a greased muffin tin, shape the pastry into cups, ensuring that there is a base and no holes in the pastry (the cup will need to be able to hold liquid)

4. Poke holes with a fork in each cup, the pastry will puff up during cooking if you don't do this.

5. Cook the pastry according to box directions
Filling:

6. Begin by melting the butter in a medium sauce pot on medium heat

7. Once butter is melted add in the garlic and sautee for about 1 minute

8. Then add in the flour and whisk together for 1 minute

9. Add in the chicken stock and half and half

10. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a low boil for 5 minutes until sauce is thick

11. Add in the chicken, bacon and canned peas/carrots

12. Stir everything together and remove from heat

13. Once pastries are cooked, spoon fill each cup up to the top with filling and top with a pinch of cheddar cheese

14. Place filled pastries back in the oven for about 5 minutes to allow cheese to melt

15. Remove from oven and serve immediately

As I mentioned before, this recipe does make more filling than the 12 cups, so you have the option of making more cups using more pastry and another muffin tin, or you can use it for plating. I spoon about 1/2 a cup of the filling on the middle of a plate, and then place 3-4 of the cups on top of the filling. It just makes it a little fancy. But, if you have a hungry family who don't care about the pretty things and would rather devour the cups before you have the chance, that's fine too! These chicken pie muffins are a big hit in my house and would be perfect as appetizers!