Friday, April 4, 2014

chicken, sweetcorn and tater tot mini-pie - an impossibly easy mini-pie recipe

I was rummaging through my fridge, freezers and pantry during my weekly clean-up session when I found 2 pieces of chicken breasts, a can of sweetcorn and a bag of tater tots.

A somewhat strange combination.

But perfect for making mini-pies!


I have made many of these pies and each time all had been eaten, and rather quickly too. I hide all sorts of vegetables in them and the kids wallop them with nary a complaint.

To make these pies, I began by sauteing diced onions for about 3-4 minutes in a hot skillet or Dutch oven until the onions turned soft and translucent. To this, I added minced garlic and cooked a further 30 seconds.



I added the chicken breasts which I had cubed. I also seasoned the chicken with salt and black pepper.



Once the chicken had turned white, I added the corn and dried thyme.



The mixture was then transferred into a bowl to cool.


To make the batter, the Bisquick mix, milk and eggs were added into a bowl and mixed with a whisk.




If you do not have Bisquick mix, I have also included a homemade Bisquick recipe at the end of this post. In fact, I am pretty sure that once I have finished using my supply of Bisquick mix, I would be making it from scratch as it is so easy to do so!! (And much cheaper too!)

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


Into each muffin hole, I added about one tablespoon of filling, followed by 2 tater tots (you can also use broken up pieces of hash brown) and then another tablespoon of filling.



Onto this, I added about 1 to 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar. (Be quite generous with the cheese.)



Finally I topped each hole with another tablespoonful of batter, and sprinkled some pepper.



These were baked for 30 minutes. Let the pies cool completely in the muffin pans before transferring onto a cooling rack, or into an air-tight container. The pies can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.


Simple, fast, delicious.

All is good. :)

RECIPE
Chicken, Sweetcorn and Tater Tot Mini-Pie - An Impossibly Easy Mini-Pie Recipe (Makes 12)

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
2 pieces chicken breast or thigh, skin removed and cubed
1 can sweet corn (or 250g frozen corn)
24 pieces Tater Tots, (or 4-5 pieces hash brown, broken in smaller pieces)
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
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 3-4 minutes until the chicken had turned white. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Add corn and thyme. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Transfer into a bowl to cool.
4. Spray a 12-hole muffin pan with vegetable oil. Add a scant tablespoonful of batter, followed by 1 tablespoon of filling 2 Tater Tots, another tablespoon 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. Keep in refrigerator for up to 4 months.

This is part of my collection of Impossibly Easy Mini-Pie recipes. These are the other recipes that I have posted. Do check them out! :)

3 comments:

  1. Yummy that looks really tatsy, great recipe...

    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diana, where do you get the Bisquick mix from?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agatha, most NUTC and CS have them - at the pancake mix or baking sections!

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