Friday's Kid-Tested Recipe: Easy Chicken Pot Pies

I hate sneaking food into my children's diets, so I thought I would share some of the recipes that I make with my kids (ages 4 &2)! When kids help cook, they rarely avoid the food because they helped to make it! I'll try to note steps that even the youngest children can help with in the kitchen!  It's fall and definitely time for comfort foods and what's more comforting than pot pies...plus they're truly easy to make!

What you'll need to make it!
Crust:
2 refrigerated pie crusts (to make 4 standard servings)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Filling:
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Dash pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup milk
1 cup cubed cooked chicken or cubed ham(leftovers work perfectly)
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed under running water and drained (or if you’re a planner you can leave in the fridge overnight to thaw)

How to make it!
Let pie crust pouch stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to make it easy to work with and so you’re less likely to have cracks in the crust (if you do, you can reseal the cracks with a little water on your fingers).

Heat oven to 400°F. Unfold pie crust; peel off top plastic sheet. Press out fold lines; sprinkle 1 teaspoon flour over crust. Turn crust, flour side down, onto ungreased cookie sheet; peel off remaining plastic sheet.
Invert two small ovenproof bowls per crust or shallow cups (depending on size, you may be able to make more pies) over crust. With sharp knife, cut round 1/2 inch larger than rims of bowls; remove bowls from crust. Line each bowl with crust, flour side down. Using remaining crust, cut desired shapes with cookie cutter or sharp knife.

Melt margarine in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour, poultry seasoning and pepper; cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add broth and milk. Cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps.

Stir in chicken/ham and mixed vegetables; cook until thoroughly heated (10 minutes on low heat (less than a 4 if your burner has numbers)). Divide mixture evenly into crust-lined bowls; top with pie crust cutouts. Place bowls on cookie sheet to catch any spills.

Bake at 400°F. for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving so that the filling sets up a bit and isn’t too runny!

Kids of all ages love to make the cut-outs, and it can make each pot pie special! Plus they’ll be waiting to try their pot-pie when it comes out of the oven so it’s an easy opportunity to engage your kids in the kitchen!

Have a great recipe to share or always talk about cooking? Link up and let everyone know...I'd love to see what you're cooking!