Healthy Chicken Pot Pie + Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Tonight's recipe is a double - a Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe from one blog (claimed to be healthy because of the crust recipe on the website) and a Buttery Flaky Pie Crust Recipe from another blog (a top and bottom crust recipe that I'm sure is not as healthy as the one on the other website but was perfect for a chicken pot pie). I made this tonight and I loved it, so I wanted to post these recipes together so I remember next time exactly what I did.

I love chicken pot pie, but I'm lactose intolerant so I haven't had it in years because it is usually made with dairy. This recipe uses almond milk so I wanted to give it a try, and it was delicious. I had my parents over for dinner and they both enjoyed it a lot too (my dad loves chicken pot pie as well). My husband wasn't too fond of the celery but liked everything else. Personally I thought the filling needed a bit more salt, but I also added more chicken and vegetables to the amounts than the original recipe called for so that might be why.

I have never been good at working with pie dough but this recipe was pretty easy to make. I mixed the dough last night and refrigerated two discs. This morning I boiled the chicken, shredded it, cut all the veggies and cooked the filling. About an hour before I wanted to bake the pie, I rolled out the bottom crust, put the filling in, rolled out the top crust and put it on. I crimped the edges, brushed the top with egg wash, made a few slits in the top and popped it in the oven (on top of a baking sheet, just in case anything spilled out but it did not).

The pie plate I use is a little bigger than your average pie plate, about 10.5" wide instead of 9", so I added a bit more chicken, veggies and almond milk to the filling recipe. This pie fed 4 adults with 3 pieces left over.

This is the perfect fall or winter dinner and as a bonus, it can even be made ahead of time. The pictures below are not the best (taken with my phone rather than my camera) but I will try to get better pictures the next time I made this.

Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe courtesy Well Plated by Erin

                       

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces chopped baby bella mushrooms

1 cup diced carrots (about 3 medium)

½ cup diced celery (about 1 large stalk)

½ cup diced onions

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces or 2 small breasts)

½ cup frozen peas

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 prepared pie crust (dairy free if needed)

1 egg (lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water to create an egg wash)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie dish with baking spray (if you are not using a bottom crust). Set aside.

 

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a large pot, then season them lightly with salt and pepper. Give each breast a nice sprinkle. Cover the chicken with 1 inch of water. Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read thermometer or is no longer pink in the center, about 8 to 16 minutes, depending upon the size and number of chicken breasts that you are poaching. A 10-ounce chicken breast will need to simmer for about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the chicken from water and let it rest until cool enough to handle. Shred chicken – I find that the chicken is the easiest to shred apart while it is still slightly warm.

 

Heat a large Dutch oven or similar deep, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan. Once hot, add the mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes, until mushrooms are beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, celery, onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have browned more deeply and the carrots begin to soften, about 3 additional minutes.

 

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the almond milk, adding a few splashes at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to let it bubble until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, and thyme.

 

Spoon the chicken mixture into the prepared pie dish.

 

Roll the pie dough into a circle large enough to cover your dish. Brush the edges of the pie dish with the egg wash, then lay the dough over the top so that it overhangs the sides. Trim the overhang to a ½ inch larger than the edge of the dish. Gently press the dough onto the sides of the dish so that it sticks, then brush all over with the remaining egg wash. With a sharp knife, cut 3 slits in the top.

 

Bake until hot and bubbly on the inside and the crust is deeply golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes. Serve hot.

 

 

NOTES:

The filling can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months (let thaw overnight in the refrigerator). Add the crust just before baking.

This recipe tastes best the day it is made because the crust is the most crisp, but you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or oven.

To make the recipe vegetarian, substitute an additional 2 cups of chopped vegetables for the chicken. The pot pie will still be delicious and hearty.

To make gluten free, use your favorite gluten free pie crust.

 

Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Recipe courtesy Sally’s Baking Addiction

 

This recipe is enough for a double crust pie. If you only need 1 crust for your pie, cut this recipe in half OR freeze the other half per the make ahead tip instruction below.

 

2½ cups all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled) plus more as needed for shaping and rolling

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

2/3 cup vegetable shortening, chilled

½ cup ice water

 

For best results, chill all ingredients before using. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl and chill them.

 

Add the chilled and cubed butter and shortening to the chilled flour and salt mixture.

 

Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick.

 

Measure ½ cup of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure ½ cup water since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon added. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about ½ cup of water and a little more in dry winter months (up to ¾ cup). Do not add any more water than you need.

 

Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Cut dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands.

 

Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.

 

When rolling out the chilled pie dough discs to use in your pie, always use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Visible specks of butter and fat in the dough are perfectly normal and expected!

 

Proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.

 

NoteS:

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the pie dough through step 4 and freeze the discs for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in your pie recipe.

Shortening:  I use between 2/3 and 3/4 cup of cold shortening in this dough. Lately, I find 2/3 cup (which is 10 Tbsp + 2 teaspoons) works best.

Salt: Use regular table salt. If using kosher salt, use 1¼ teaspoons.

 

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

I have a habit of making sautéed spinach too often instead of buying other vegetables. I don't usually like steamed vegetables or soggy vegetables (yuck!), but I love roasted vegetables. Here is a quick and simple recipe for Roasted Broccoli with Garlic. This was so delicious I was snacking on it as I was finishing the rest of the dinner I made with it - and I don't even like broccoli that much!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

Recipe courtesy Food Network Kitchen

                       

1 bunch broccoli (about 1½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced or diced

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or coarse pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Spread them out and then roast, without stirring, until the edges are crispy and the stems are crisp tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servings.

Before roasting

After - crispy and delicious!

Chicken, Veggie & Lo Mein Stir-Fry

When my husband and I were dating, stir-fry is one of the dinners we often made for each other. He never uses a recipe, and I have a terrible memory, so I am writing it out! We always make this a little different depending on which veggies we have, but this is the general idea of what we do. We have been using the Mann's Family Favorites California Stir-fry Vegetables because it's a good amount or veggies for 2 people. Sometimes we add more veggies to the stir-fry, like mushrooms. Sometimes we also use jasmine rice instead of lo mein noodles. We've tried Chinese noodles and Udon noodles as well. This amount typically feeds both of us with some leftovers. Last night I made it just for myself and got 4 dinners out of it.

After making this a few times in a large frying pan and having trouble fitting everything in it, we purchased the Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 12" Stir-Fry Pan. This wok is spacious and comes with a lid (most others we found did not include a lid). It's easy to clean too. You can find woks at places like Home Goods and TJ Maxx as well. It also helps to use a wok paddle to stir everything together. It really works better than any other utensil when cooking in a wok!

If you're looking for a new easy meal to make for yourself or your family, give this a try!

Chicken, Veggie & Lo Mein Stir-Fry

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

12-ounce bag Mann's Family Favorites California Stir-fry Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and snow peas)

Small package mushrooms, sliced

10-ounce package Lo Mein egg noodles

Teriyaki Marinade

Soy Sauce

Cut the chicken and marinate in the teriyaki sauce for at least 30 min or overnight.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan and cook chicken.

Boil half of the package of noodles according to package directions (or the whole package if you prefer more noodles).

Steam stir-fry vegetables in microwave according to package directions, or saute fresh vegetables until half-way cooked.

Once chicken is cooked, add veggies to the wok. Add more marinade if needed. Cover for a few minutes until veggies are cooked through.

Add noodles or rice and stir everything together. Add soy sauce to your liking, and serve.

Serves 3-4.

Photos by JoJo

Creamy Squash Soup

My sister Paula makes a delicious Butternut Squash Soup that I want to post even though I've never made it, because it's a great fall recipe. The first time I had this at her house many years ago, she served it with grilled cheese. The two together made a great combination (dipping the grilled cheese in the soup is really good!). This is a great soup to make for lunch or dinner. Give it a try this fall!

Creamy Squash Soup

Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen

2 pounds butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1½ cups diced onion

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 (13¾-ounce) cans chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup light cream or heavy cream

Sour cream, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine squash, onion, carrots, broth and salt. Simmer, uncovered, until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes. Puree soup in a blender or food processor with the butter. Whisk cream into soup. Serve in wide, shallow bowls with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Note: Usually one big squash makes one recipe. Weigh the squash if you have to figure out how many recipes to make.

Photo from www.pauladeen.com

Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Pepper, Mozzarella, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, and Basil

Another dish we made for my niece's birthday cookout was a pasta salad. My sister had been wanting to make this recipe since she saw it, and I knew I'd love it because of all the ingredients in it. It was very simple to make. She bought most of the ingredients at Costco. We made two pounds of pasta (I adjusted the original recipe to closer to the amounts we used) and used a bit more of all the veggies since we had a lot of everything. Two recipes almost filled a large Tupperware bowl. I thought this pasta salad came out perfect and I wouldn't' change anything in it, but if there is something in the recipe you don't like you can easily substitute it or take it out.

Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Pepper, Mozzarella, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, and Basil

Adapted from www.fortheloveofcooking.net

VINAIGRETTE:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons shallot, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Add the shallot, minced garlic, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Whisk until well combined and then set aside.

PASTA:

1 pound rotini pasta, cooked per package instructions
½ cup roasted bell pepper, diced
½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup mozzarella cheese, diced
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water per package instructions. Drain, and then rinse with cold water to cool the pasta. Toss the pasta into a large serving bowl, then add the roasted bell peppers, grape tomatoes, sliced kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, basil, and diced mozzarella. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top, and then gently toss to coat evenly. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Enjoy.

Yield: 10 servings (2 recipes fills a big Tupperware bowl)

Vinaigrette

Cherry tomatoes

Artichokes

Roasted red peppers

Kalamata olives

Mozzarella

Mix ingredients with cooled pasta, chopped basil & vinaigrette

Refrigerate or serve at room temperature

Photos by JoJo

Zucchini Bread

One of my favorite foods to have for breakfast is Zucchini Bread with cream cheese spread on it. Today I made some and I can't wait to have it for breakfast tomorrow! I hadn't made this recipe in years and forgot how simple it is. I used a food processor to shred two zucchinis which instantly gave me 4 cups, so I made a double recipe (4 loaves). My loaves came out a little flatter than I had hoped, so the only thing I would do differently next time is make a double recipe and make 3 loaves out of it instead of 4.

The best thing about this recipe is that it has instructions on how to adapt the recipe for orange or apple bread as well. I've never tried the orange bread, but the apple bread is delicious! My mom prefers this bread refrigerated, so that is usually what we do. It's also great to freeze and take out the night before you want to eat it. I have three in the freezer now that will be going on vacation with us in a few weeks. I've also made these into mini loaves, which make great gifts!

Update - July 2021: I made this Zucchini Bread recipe yesterday for the first time in years. I had 3 medium-sized zucchini and shredded them all in my food processor and then measured - I had 8 cups of zucchini, so I had to make 4 recipes. Luckily I have two very large mixing bowls which I used to mix everything together. I made 3 regular size loaves with the first double batch, and 2 regular size loaves and 3 mini loaves with the second batch. The breads came out a much better size using a double recipe to make 3 loaves instead of 4 (the recipe says a single recipe makes 2 loaves but then the loaves are a bit short). Doing it this way means you will have to increase your baking time - they will take over an hour to bake. Next time I will increase the temp to 350˚ when baking them. Either way, you can't go wrong - this zucchini bread is so good!

You can also make 24 muffins out of a single recipe. Bake at 375˚ for 17-20 minutes.

Three-Way Quick Nut Loaves

From Kitchen Aid Convection Oven Cookbook, page 72

Depending on the season, this moist nut bread can be made with oranges, apples, or zucchini. Whatever the flavor, the bread will be easier to slice if it stands for at least a day. Wrapped well, it keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week, or you can freeze it for longer storage.

2 cups orange, apple, or zucchini mixture (recipes follow)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 eggs

1½ cups sugar

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Make orange, apple, or zucchini mixture.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nuts; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly; add sugar and oil and stir until blended. Stir in vanilla and orange, apple, or zucchini mixture. Add flour mixture all at once and stir just until evenly moistened. Spread batter into 2 greased and floured 4½” x 8½” loaf pans.

Bake in preheated 300˚ convection oven for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on wire racks to cool completely. Wrap well and refrigerate or freeze. Makes 2 loaves.

ORANGE MIXTURE:

From 4 large oranges, grate 1 tablespoon orange peel; then cut off and discard remaining peel plus all the white membrane. Remove seeds (if any) and finely chop pulp; you should have 2 cups. Combine pulp and grated peel.

APPLE MIXTURE:

Peel, core, and shred 3 or 4 medium-size tart apples; you should have 2 cups. Stir 1 teaspoon lemon juice into apples.

ZUCCHINI MIXTURE:

Coarsely shred about 2 medium-size zucchini; you should have 2 cups (packed lightly).

Easiest way to shred zucchini

Chopped walnuts in mini food processor

Wet ingredients

Dry ingredients

Mix shredded zucchini with wet ingredients

Add dry ingredients and mix together

Loaf read for the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

Updated photos from July 2021: