Toddler Food: Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pies

I have been thouroughly enjoying finding new recipes that are toddler friendly.  I look for healthy and easy recipes that yield enough to last about a week or that freeze well to always have on hand.  I made this recipe yesterday for Baby Boy and it was a hit!  Even the hubby and I enjoyed a few bites.  I've tried to give our little guy broccoli before and he was not a fan but he seemed to gobble it right up in this recipe. 

I didn't have a mini muffin tin which the recipe calls for so I just made six regular sized muffin pot pies and I froze three of them for future use.  I had everything on had to double the recipe to fill my 12 count regular sized muffin tin, but I didn't want to waste the ingredients and go through the trouble if Baby Boy wasn't going to like them.  Now that I know... I will definitely double the recipe next time!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray

Pot Pie Filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 small store-bought rotisserie chicken breast, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup meat)
• 1 cup broccoli florets, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces, steamed (about 2 ounces)

To Assemble:

• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• Two 10-inch round unfold-and-bake frozen pie crusts, thawed
• 1 large egg
• Special equipment: 12-cup mini-muffin pan; 3-inch round cookie cutter; 2-inch round cookie cutter

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12-count mini-muffin pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

For the pot pie filling: Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 6 minutes (it took much less time for me... about 3 minutes).

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, Parmesan, chicken and broccoli.

For assembly: On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. Using the top of a ramekin as an outline, cut out 6 pieces of dough. Using the 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out another 6 pieces of dough.

Press the large rounds of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the sauce into the pastry.

Combine the egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl, using a fork. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture and place the remaining pieces of dough on top.

Lightly press the edges of the dough together to seal. Press around the edges of the pies using the tines of a fork. Brush the tops of each pie with the beaten egg.

Cut a 1/2-inch-long slit into the top of the pies using a paring knife.

Bake until the tops are golden and the filling is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

**Since I only made six regular sized pot pies instead of 12, I poured water into the empty "cups" of my muffin tin to ensure even cooking.