Mini chicken pot pies - low cal, fast meal

On one of my pantry raid menu planning days I noticed a box of Bisquick hidden on a shelf. I recalled a mini chicken pot pie recipe I had pinned on Pinterest and looked it up again to see what was involved. Bisquick was the the "crust" instead of traditional pastry dough. They sounded like a nice comfort food but without the heavy gravy and pastry required for an actual chicken pot pie. While I didn’t have every ingredient, I had most and improvised with a few others.

I sautéed half an onion, one small yellow squash chopped small with frozen peas and a turkey breast that was already cooked from a previous meal also chopped small.

While that warmed through, I mixed the baking mixture of Bisquick, egg and milk. Add some shredded cheese to the mixture, if desired.

In a regular sized muffin tin (12 muffins), add one tablespoon of the baking mixture to each tin.

Top with ¼ cup of your filling. Want more cheese? Add a little sprinkle now. I didn't add cheese to the baking mixture but I did add Parmesan cheese at this point.

Then top with another tablespoon of the baking mixture. And heck, more cheese if you want.

These puff up and make a nice single serving presentation. Kids might be fine with one and maybe a side of fruit, veggies or mac and cheese but adults may want two or three with a side.

I’ll admit, they didn’t satisfy my chicken pot pie craving. They were more eggy than doughy—almost like mini quiche. However, my recipe totaled just 66 calories per serving! That meant for the next day or two I had leftovers to snack on. Great for a little protein punch (eggs, turkey).

If you like this sort of thing, I encourage you to poke around the Betty Crocker website. They had several variations on this like cheeseburger, Thai and Mexican inspired.

Impossible Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Basic recipe from Betty Crocker but adapt to what you have on hand

Chicken Mixture

1      tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used one cooked turkey breast)

1      medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2  cup chicken broth

1      cup frozen peas and carrots  (I used 1/2 cup peas and one small yellow squash diced)

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/4  teaspoon pepper

1/4  teaspoon ground thyme

1  cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz) (I used 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan)

Baking Mixture

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add onion and chicken broth; heat to simmering. Add frozen vegetables and seasonings. Heat until hot, stirring occasionally until almost all liquid is absorbed. Cool 5 minutes; stir in cheese.

In medium bowl, stir baking mixture ingredients with whisk or fork until blended. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon baking mixture into each muffin cup. Top with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon baking mixture onto chicken mixture in each muffin cup.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I suggest to start checking them at 20 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes. With thin knife, loosen sides of pies from pan; remove from pan and place top sides up on cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes longer, and serve.