Muffin Tin Pot Pies

I love good old fashion winter food. Pot pies are one of those delightful foods. This is another one of Rachael Ray's recipes. I've made this particular recipe once before and thought it was going to be the last time. The recipe leaves you room to choose which seasoning you like more and I went with dill at the time, end result it was over-powering. I liked the "guts" (as I refer to the inside mixture of the pot pie) but maybe without so much dill. Well since I still had unused pastry sheet dough left I decided to make it one more time. This go around I used thyme instead and my husband and I decided it really made a difference. I'm glad I decided to give this recipe one more chance.

As a side note, I also realized my daughter has a weird quirk. She likes the "guts" of the pot pie but will not eat the crust of any pot pie whether homemade or store bought. I find this very odd. I guess I know what to do with my left over "gut" mixture, though.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, halved, divided
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a drizzle or cooking spray for oiling muffin tin
A handful mushroom caps, sliced or chopped
1 small rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup defrosted frozen peas and carrots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour, plus a sprinkle to roll out dough
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh dill or thyme, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place chicken in a pan with 1/2 of the onion and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Gently poach chicken until cooked through. Remove from liquid and dice or shred with forks in a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and brown 5 minutes. Finely chop remaining 1/2 onion and add to the pan along with the celery. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, a few minutes more. Add frozen veggies and heat through, a minute or 2 more. Add veggies to bowl with shredded or cut chicken.

Return the skillet to the heat and add butter. Melt butter, add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in stock and let thicken a minute or 2. Stir in cream and heat through. Add Dijon, dill or thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and pour over chicken and vegetables, and stir to combine.

Wipe a large, 6-cup muffin tin with oil or spray with cooking spray. Roll out dough and cut into 6 squares. Place each square in a cup, fill with chicken, vegetable and gravy mix. Pull in all four points of the crust over the filling so they meet in the middle, forming 6 individual pot pies. Brush pies with egg wash and bake 25-30 minutes until crisp and deeply golden. Let stand a few minutes before removing from the muffin cups.