Chicken with vegetable tarts

Description:
Delicious savoury tarts filled with chicken and vegetables and topped with crisp pastry.

Main ingredients:
Dairy, Flour, Eggs, Chicken, Vegetables, Pastry

Ingredients:
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
4 skinless chicken fillets, cubed
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped small
200g peas
1 onion, finely diced
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
100g button mushrooms, halved
200g ready roll shortcrust pastry (thawed if frozen)
A little plain flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.
Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and set aside.
Heat the butter until melted in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream until you have a thickened sauce.
Add the chicken and all the vegetables to the sauce with some salt and pepper then simmer for 6-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Spoon into individual ovenproof bowls or one large ovenproof dish if you prefer.
Unravel the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to 2cm in thickness.
Cut the pastry into discs if using individual bowls and lay over the tops or if using one dish, then lay the entire pastry over top and crimp the edges.
Make a few cross incisions in the tops to let the steam escape while baking.
Brush with the beaten egg and place the bowls or the dish on the baking tray for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. (This prevents a mess to clean up if the tarts release any cooking juices).
Remove and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Recipe Type: Family Dinners
Level of Difficulty: Easy