Recipe: Lightened Chicken Pot Pie

Fall is my favorite season, and while there are a bunch of things that make me happy about its return, chicken pot pie ranks pretty high on the list. I mean, you could make chicken pot pie all year round, but the crisp, cool nights seem to call for something warm and comforting. Plus, doesn’t something about fall just scream “pie” to you? Chicken pot pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie… I could go on.

I remember my step-dad making chicken pot pie when I was growing up, and he always made huge batches: one pie for the table and one for the freezer. There was always a touch more filling than could fit in the pie crusts, and we would stand in the kitchen while the pies baked, eating the leftover filling with spoons.

My love for chicken pot pie hasn’t diminished since then, but in my household I’m the only one who eats it. This leads me to eat the entire pie by myself, usually within two days (it’s really that good).

Since eating a whole pie isn’t good for the waistline, I’ve adapted the recipe my step-dad used. I’ve eliminated dairy in the filling, saving some calories and making it easier on the stomach for those with dairy intolerance. The filling doesn’t get quite as thick as the pie from my childhood, but it will set up after cooking if you give it some time.

I use store-bought crust in this recipe, but if you want to get fancy you can make your own. Keep in mind that this will increase the time it takes to get the pie in your belly. You can also omit the chicken and use vegetable stock to make a vegetarian dish. Either way, follow my step-dad’s advice and double the recipe. You’re going to want two.

Chicken Pot Pie (Dairy free)

Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 package store-bought pie crust (2 rounds)
• 1 10-oz package frozen vegetables (mine was peas, carrots, corn, and green beans)
• 1/3 package frozen corn (I like extra veggies so I added more. 1 package above is fine, too)
• 1 tsp coconut oil to cook chicken
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 small chopped onion
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 ¾ cup chicken broth
• 2 ½ cups cut-up chicken

 Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Melt 1 tsp coconut oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center. Set cooked chicken aside.
3. Melt 2 Tablespoons coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute until the mixture gets bubbly. There will be a lot of onions so if you don’t see the bubbles, don’t worry too much. Just get it thick. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in broth and return saucepan to burner. Increase temperature so mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute, then add in vegetables and chicken. Remove from heat.
5. Arrange bottom pie crust in pie pan, then fill with chicken mixture. Top with second pie crust. Lightly wet your fingers with water and run them over just the edge of the crust to prevent burning.
6. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, you can also top with tin foil for the remainder of cooking time.