When you can cook it in one pot with (mostly) healthy ingredients and have it taste this good, why would you not make pie for dinner? Yes, Chicken Pot Pie is classic comfort food and this is my take on it.
What you will need:
Vegetables: You can use any vegetables you prefer, provided they go well together. Since I'm always trying to add more veggies into our diet, I'm using potatoes, celery, peas, carrots, onions, beans, baby spinach (frozen can be substituted), and corn. Feel free to omit or add what you prefer or depending on what's in the fridge
Chicken: If you have a whole chicken, I would recommend first boiling it with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley. Discard the vegetables, bones and skin and voila, you have a hearty broth that can be used for future soups or dishes! (if you own an Instant Pot, this process is super easy and takes care of 2 or more meals). Shred the meat to use for the pie. Otherwise, use boneless, skinless breast of chicken cut into cubes.
Biscuit/puff pastry/shortcrust pastry: For the pie topping, any of these options work. I made biscuits for this recipe and in the past, I have used puff pastry as well (store-bought is fine).
Herbs: Fresh thyme in this dish pairs nicely with the chicken and gives off a lovely aroma. I also added parsley.
Ovenproof skillet or pie dish: The dish should preferably be ovenproof since it will be used to cook the pie mixture on the stovetop and bake in the oven- I used a Le Creuset skillet. If you don't have one, just prepare the filling in a pan on the stove and transfer it to a casserole dish to bake.
Cheese and mustard: I would recommend adding some cheddar and mustard for added taste, though this is optional.
Alternatively, this recipe is a great way to use up turkey leftovers after Easter or Christmas. If you want to make it vegetarian-friendly, omit the chicken altogether.
Chicken Pot Pie
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serving: 6 people
Ingredients for the pie:
Chicken: 500 gm boneless, skinless, cut into cubes
Garlic: 4-5, minced
Carrot: 1 medium-sized, diced
Celery: 1 stalk, cut finely
Onion: 1 white or brown, chopped finely
Green beans: 25o g, cut small
Potato: 1 large, chopped into cubes
Baby spinach: 2 cups washed (can substitute frozen spinach)
Peas: 1 cup, frozen
Corn: 1 cup, frozen or canned (drained)
Thyme: 2 Tbsp fresh or 1 1/2 Tsp dried
Parsley: 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped
Butter: 25 gm
Olive oil: 1 Tbsp
Green chilies: 2 slit down the middle (optional- taken out before baking)
Mustard: 1 Tbsp whole-grain (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
Milk: 1 cup
Cooking cream: 1 cup (if you want a lighter version substitue with one cup chicken broth)
Flour: 1/4 cup
Cheddar cheese: 1/4 cup (optional)
For the biscuits:
Flour: 2 cups
Baking powder: 1 Tbsp
Salt: 1/2 Tsp
Sugar: 1 Tsp
Butter: 75 g, cold, cut into cubes
Milk: 3/4 cup
Chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
1. Clean, wash and chop up the chicken and all the vegetables.
2. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. As the butter melts, add the garlic, onion, celery, green beans, carrot, chilies (if using) and saute for five minutes. Add the chicken and thyme, once the chicken loses its pink color, add in the baby spinach.
3. Make a well in the center of the pan, add in the flour, and stir it around just until it loses its raw smell. Slowly add the milk and cream and cook the mixture, you will see the sauce starts to thicken up in a few minutes now add the peas and corn to the mixture, season with salt and pepper. If using cheddar cheese and mustard, add it last, then turn off the stove and let it cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 C (425 F) and start on the biscuits.
5. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the food processor, pulse it, now add the cold butter cubes and pulse it till it looks like coarse breadcrumbs then add the milk and pulse again until it comes together as a dough. If you don't have a food processor, grate the cold butter into the dry mixture and combine with your hands. Then, add milk and knead into a dough.
Cooking cream: 1 cup (if you want a lighter version substitute with one cup chicken broth)
6. Flour your workspace and rolling pin, roll the biscuit dough into a 1/2 inch thick layer. Cut 6-10 biscuits using a biscuit cutter or rim of a drinking glass.
7. Arrange biscuits on top of the filling and brush the tops of the biscuits with milk or butter for browning.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly and the biscuits are browned and cooked through.
9. Serve with salad or on enjoy on its own!
