chicken, broccoli and sun-dried tomato mini-pies - an impossibly easy mini-pie recipe

I will never be able to solve the mystery of the excess chicken (parts) in my fridge.

There seems to always be some parts of chicken - be it the breast, or thigh, or wings - in my fridge and I always have to find ways to use them up.

It is usually more difficult when the portion of left-over chicken is pretty small - not enough for a quick stir-fry dish, or anything else, really. When this happens, I make pies. Mini-pies that are great for breakfasts, or as a snack.

I made these pies with broccoli as well. It is amazing how fast kids would happily finish these pies and ask for more - no questions about the broccoli! It is a great way to get fussy kids to eat vegetables.

To start, I diced the chicken into small pieces. To this, I added a little salt and pepper to season. This was then set aside.

I also blanched the broccoli in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes.

They were then drained and set aside.

Finally I diced the onion and chopped the sun-dried tomato.

In a heated skillet, I sauteed the onion in extra-virgin olive oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions were softened and turned translucent. Into this, I added minced garlic and cook a further 30 seconds. Then I added the chicken and cooked until the chicken had turned white.

I added the sun-dried tomatoes as well as the broccoli.

I seasoned with salt and pepper, and transferred the mixture into a bowl to cool.

To make the batter, I whisked together Bisquick mix, milk and eggs. If you want to make the mix from scratch, you can also find the recipe below.

I placed a scant tablespoon of the batter in each hole of a 12-hole muffin pan which had been sprayed with vegetable oil.

I added 2 tablespoons of the filling, making sure that the broccoli was well-distributed, as well as 1-2 tablespoons of Cheddar.

That was topped with another tablespoon of batter, and I sprinkled some pepper on top.

The pies were backed and cooled before they were transferred onto wire racks or air-tight containers.

Have you taken part in my Danish dough whisks giveaway? Here's the link!

RECIPE
Chicken, Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Mini-Pies - An Impossibly Easy Mini-Pie Recipe (Makes 12)

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1 piece chicken breast, cubed
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces, blanched for 2 minutes in salted water
5 pieces sun-dried tomato, cut into small pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Saute onions for 2-3 minutes in extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and cook a further 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken, cook until chicken turns white. Add sun-dried tomato and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
4. Spray a 12-hole muffin pan with vegetable oil. Add a scant tablespoonful of batter, followed by 2 tablespoons of filling and 1-2 tablespoons of Cheddar. Top with another tablespoon of batter.
5. Sprinkle with black pepper.
6. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, or until the tops of the pies have turned golden brown.
7. Cool completely before removing from muffin pan and storing in fridge (2-3 days) or freezer (up to 3 months).
Note: Thaw in fridge over-night if storing in freezer before re-heating,

For the Batter using Ready-Made Bisquick Mix:
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk - this can be whole milk or low-fat milk
2 eggs

Method:
Whisk Bisquick mix, milk and eggs in a bowl until combined.

OR
For the Homemade Bisquick Mix:
3 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 tablespoons baking powder, sifted
56.7g cold butter or shortening

Method:
Place flour, baking powder and butter in a mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter (or food processor) to cut in the cold butter until evenly incorporated. Stir in refrigerator for up to 4 months.