Mini Chicken and Leek Tarts

This recipe came about as I was making a chicken and leek pie for dinner, but knew that T couldn't eat the puff pastry topping that we were having. I had a bit of leftover pastry from the jam tart recipe, and made these as well. Why not top with some mashed potato and make a dish for the whole family?

Ingredients

6 skinless chicken thighs - chopped (you could use breast as well or instead)
couple of sprigs of thyme
2 leeks
2 large while onions
1 salt free chicken stock cube
1 tbsp flour
250mls Oatly milk
1 tsp wholegrain mustard - optional
Ready rolled shortcrust pasty
Olive oil

Method

1. Soften the leeks and onions in a frying pan with a little of the oil.
2. In a separate frying pan, cook the chopped chicken thighs with the thyme. Set aside once cooked.
3. Add the flour and crumble in the stock cube into the leeks until it is all coated.
4. Add the oatly milk and stir until you get a thick sauce forming. Allow to simmer and reduce. Add the mustard at this point if you are using it.
5. Once the leek mixture has reduced, add the chicken back into the mixture and stir so everything is evenly distributed.
6. Remove the pastry from its wrapper and cut into circles about 12cm in diameter.

7. Place the pastry circles into a muffin tin that has been greased (I used dairy free spread). Prick the pastry with a fork and place in an oven at 180C for 5-8minutes until it has started to cook.
8. Remove the pastry from then oven and put a generous spoonful of chicken and leek mix into each pastry case.
9. Put back into the oven for another 10-15mins until the pastry is golden.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving!

Additions and alternatives -

Rather than make lots of individual tarts, use the pastry to line a 20cm round tart tin. Prick with a fork   and cook for 10minutes before adding the chicken and leek mix. Cook instead for 20minutes.

Add a mashed potato topping, or serve with mashed potato on the side.

See more of my dairy free recipes. 

Dairy free grown ups: Chicken and Tomato Bake

This recipe was introduced to me by a friend, and like with all good recipes, it adapts and changes over time. This recipe originally started as this Jamie Oliver recipe, but I've worked my own version of it.

It's not the quickest of recipes, but it is one of the easiest I've come across. You just need to put all the ingredients into a dish, place it in the oven, and it can be forgotten about for the next hour or so, when you get out a mouth-watering rush of steaming aromas. This is probably a bit too salty for babies under 1 year due to the addition of the stock cubes - you could use salt free ones instead if you are planing on feeding this to your little one too.

Jamie Oliver's version

Ingredients

Chicken thighs or legs, or a mixture of both. Allow 2 portions per person, (more if hungry!)

Cherry or santorini tomatoes, chopped in half - 2 handfuls

2 chicken stock cubes

2 tins cannellini beans, drained

1 pinch chilli flakes

Couple of lugs of olive oil. 

Splash of water 

Basil leaves to serve

Salt and pepper (optional)

                                                                                                       

Method

Heat the oven to 200C. 

Place the tins of beans in the bottom of a large, oven proof dish. Crumble a the chicken stock cubes of the top of these. 

Add the sliced tomatoes and the chicken portions on the top.

Season (if desired) and then add the water (about half a mugful should be enough to get a lovely sauce going in the bottom of the dish), and the olive oil over the top. 

Place in the oven for approximately 1-2hrs, until the chicken has become crispy and the tomatoes have released their juices into the pan too. 

Arrange a few basil leaves on top once cooked. 

To serve: you can have this on its own, or with crusty bread. We also had this the other night with a side of wild rice and kale. 

My version - hopefully not too dissimilar! 

Chicken and Leek Casserole

This is a pretty easy dish to make that would suit a baby in the earlier stages of weaning if blended appropriately. I leave it lumpy for T at the moment. It's a great dish, because he's started to go through a phase of refusing green vegetables when presented as a finger food, but is quite happy to eat them when mixed in with something else.


Ingredients
1 chicken breast, diced
250mls salt free vegetable or chicken stock
1 large potato, chopped
1 medium leek, chopped, 
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 onion, diced, 
1 tbsp organic rapeseed oil

 Method

1. In a large saucepan, soften the onion in the oil
2. Add the chopped potato, carrot and leek and continue to soften (but not brown) in the pan.
    

   

   
   
   

3. Add the chicken and continue to cook
4. Once the chicken is cooked through, pour in the stock, place a lid on the pan, and simmer for about 20minutes (you want the potato to be cooked through and soft), stir occasionally. 
5. Blend, puree or mash as appropriate to your child

Top tip - If you are feeling lazy (and aren't we all somedays), then cook the chicken, leek and potato as above, but add some mixed frozen vegetables to the saucepan with the stock to increase the veg content. 

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This is a good dish to get extra calcium into your child. You don't necessarily need to use broccoli - sweetcorn, diced carrot or spinach are all alternatives. 

Broccoli- good source of vitamin C and Calcium.