Made With Love

Chicken & Veggie Pockets

One of my favorite activities is cooking with my sweet little boys. And I have found that if I can get my 3 year old to prepare the food, he is much more likely to eat it! He loves helping and although he is pretty limited to pouring, kneading or stirring, it's the time together that I appreciate the most. I am hopeful that by encouraging his interest now, he may be more likely to continue his love for cooking as he grows up.

We have especially been loving our newest cookbook, The Baby & Toddler Cookbook, which includes healthy, homemade foods for both baby foods and toddler dishes. 

Tonight (after an evening of water gun fights) we came inside to try our newest recipe, Chicken & Veggie Pockets. And we loved it! These yummy pastry pockets, filled with chicken, melted cheese and sweet corn are the perfect hand-held toddler lunch or snack.

Chicken & Veggie Pockets

What you'll need:

1 Tblspn olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, about 2/3 cup total

2/3 cup fresh or frozen thawed corn

1 1/4 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

All-purpose (plain) flour for dusting

1 large egg, lightly beaten

MAKES ABOUT 16 POCKETS

• In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leek and saute until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add the corn and saute until tender, 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool, then stir in the chicken and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Mixture.

• Unfold 1 sheet of the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin (we used a glass cup), roll out the to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter (we used our glass cup again), cut out 8 rounds and arrange on a baking sheet (we used parchment paper). Repeat with the second sheet of puffy pastry.

Kneading our dough.

• Place 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on one half of each round. Fold the dough over the filling to make a crescent-shaped pocket. Press on the edges to help them adhere, then crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Pierce the pockets in several places with the fork. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. (Bath & PJ Time!)

Pre-refrigerator.

Final product.

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the pockets directly from the refrigerator to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 16-18 minutes (we added a few more mins until they were good and golden). Let cool slightly, then serve.

Hope you enjoy this yummy, healthy treat as much as we did!