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The home cooking classics might not always be the most welcome to your waistline. Such is the price of great taste, or so it would seem. But wait! Healthier Chicken Pot Pie has come to prove that you can have fantastic comfort foods without guilt! The key comes from making simple substitutions that don't compromise the flavor: vegan butter, almond milk, and low-sodium broth come together to make a creamy and savory chicken filling with a flaky, golden brown pie crust. Serve yourself up a slice of Healthier Chicken Pot Pie and enjoy that hearty goodness without worry!
The home cooking classics might not always be the most welcome to your waistline. Such is the price of great taste, or so it would seem. But wait! Healthier Chicken Pot Pie has come to prove that you can have fantastic comfort foods without guilt! The key comes from making simple substitutions that don't compromise the flavor: vegan butter, almond milk, and low-sodium broth come together to make a creamy and savory chicken filling with a flaky, golden brown pie crust. Serve yourself up a slice of Healthier Chicken Pot Pie and enjoy that hearty goodness without worry!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for flouring a worksurface
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegan butter or dairy butter cold
- 1 egg yolk
- 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk or oat milk
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or dairy butter divided
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless, and cut into cubes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or oat milk
- 1 1/3 cups plus 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth divided
- 1 3/4 cups gold potatoes diced
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 egg optional, for the egg wash
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat a deep skillet or a large deep-dish pie pan with nonstick spray.
- Place the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl and whisk together.
- Dice 1/3 cup of the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture, cutting the butter into the flour until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the almond milk and whisk with a fork until combined.
- Whisk and combine until the dough comes together and is smooth and not overly wet or dry, adding more almond milk as necessary. It should not form a ball, but instead be a little shaggy.
- In a large pot, add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and the chicken.
- Season the chicken with the salt and the pepper to taste.
- Cook the chicken until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
- Add the remaining almond milk and 1 1/3 cups of the chicken broth to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add in the potatoes and the carrots and boil until the potatoes release their starches, about 3-4 minutes.
- Drain the mixture over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquids and setting aside the potatoes and the carrots.
- Add the remaining butter to the same pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Vigorously whisk the 1/3 cup of the whole-wheat flour and the remaining chicken broth at the same time into the onions until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Stir in the reserved cooking liquids, the potatoes, the carrots, the chicken, the frozen peas, the thyme, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper.
- Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning.
- Add the pot pie mixture to the prepared skillet or pie pan.
- Roll out the pie dough on a well-floured surface until large enough to cover the pie pan.
- Place the crust dough on top of the mixture in the pie pan, pressing the edges and sealing.
- Cut a few slits in the top of the crust or poke holes with a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Whisk the egg and brush the top of the crust with the egg wash.
- Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 45-55 minutes.
- Serve.
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