Mini Chicken Pot Pies

This recipe was also a recent request. And I made it today for a Christmas gift. And Will actually thought to take a picture!! I have no idea how long they should bake for and if they should be defrosted before baking or just bake frozen, but for longer. I'm leaving that to the gift-getter to figure out! If anyone else tries these and has suggestions for the best way to cook them, please comment! (adapted from Betty Crocker)

Chicken Pot pies:

1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas and carrots
1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. chopped onion

1/3 c. chopped celery (optional)

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 3/4 c. chicken broth

2/3 c. milk

2 1/2 - 3 c. cut-up cooked chicken (we bought a 20 oz package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and just cooked them in water on the stove until done, then cooled and cut up and used all of it. Probably more than the recipe called for.

Pastry for 10-inch two-crust pie (will be barely enough)

6 little pie pans

Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate (still uncooked), drain. Heat butter in large pan over med heat until melted. Add onion and celery and cook until tender, stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Remove from heat and slowly stir in broth and milk (this works best if you add a little at a time, and it is easiest to avoid lumps if the broth is cold, not hot). Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and veggies. Let cool.

Make the pastry according to your favorite recipe. (I used a shortning recipe even though I usually use oil pastry because I think the shortning makes the dough easier to handle for something like this and I suspect it will hold up better after having been frozen... but I have no proof of that.) We bought little disposable aluminum foil pie pans at the store and washed them. Dough was rolled out for the bottom crusts (I made these once before without a bottom crust, but this time I decided to try it... like I mentioned about, I don't know how these will all bake up, I'll have to ask the person in a month or two!) and then the pies were all filled. And then smaller pieces of dough were put over the top and the pies sealed in some fashion or another. I then cut some slits on the top. Then I put them in covered plastic food containers out on the back deck to freeze in this very cold weather we are having. Tonight I'll bring them in and wrap in foil and then put in plastic bags. And either put in the freezer or back out on the deck (unaccessable to random stray dogs and such).

Make 6 little pies (I probably used extra veggies too, I was combining peas and carrots separately, so I wasn't keeping good track.)

The recipe says to bake the normal pie (in a square 9x9 inch pan) at 425 deg F for ~35 minutes or until golden brown.