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Beary Good

Chock-full of chicken and veggies, this is a hearty classic that will delight both young and old.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Chock-full of chicken and veggies, this is a hearty classic that will delight both young and old.

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Rice and noodles are go-to staples in an Asian diet, but if you are looking for an alternative to keep meal times interesting for the whole family, why not try this one-dish wonder? It’s a comfort-food classic that’s budget-friendly, and comes complete with meat and vegetables in a rich homemade sauce, topped with a flaky golden pie crust in a shape of a bear (or any other shape you fancy)! Serve it piping hot from the oven or freeze it for a quick snack later. This recipe was demonstrated at the Young Parents Fun Family Cooking Workshop on Dec 9, 2017.

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CHICKEN AND POTATO POT PIE WITH PUFF PASTRY BEAR
Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken thighs
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk leek
1 medium carrot
10 white mushrooms, quartered
½ cups of peas
2 tbsp flour
1 cup low-fat milk
2 large baked potatoes, mashed
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano

Pastry

1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1 In a hot frying pan, sear the chicken skin side down with a little oil until browned. Remove and let them rest before dicing to smaller chunks.

2 In the same pan, saute the onions, leeks and carrots with butter for a few minutes until soft, then saute the garlic and mushrooms. Add Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano and peas, and add the diced chicken back into the pan.

3 When all the vegetables are soft and the chicken is mostly cooked, stir in flour and let cook a little. Then slowly add milk. This will thicken up the mix. You may not require all the milk. Let the mix cool.

4 Cut bear shapes out of the puff pastry to cover the pot pies later.

5 In a pie dish, layer mash potatoes at the bottom, followed by chicken mix, then brush the lip of the pie dish with a little egg wash to seal the puff pastry shapes on top. Egg wash the puff pastry for better colour during baking.

6 Bake in the oven at 180 deg C for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen and become golden.

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