Chicken Pot Pie

I love a good chicken pot pie. But as I have gotten older, I no longer care for the typical chicken pot pie filling so much - peas, carrots, white potatoes...and remember those icky pearl onions? I prefer to make my chicken pot pie with squash, broccolini, zucchini, kale, fresh roasted corn, mushrooms, asparagus...getting excited just thinking about lunch time approaching.

The thought of making homemade pastry can turn some away from trying a recipe -but this crust does not require a food processor and can be done in minutes. If you decide not to make a pie crust, you can use a biscuit topping, store bought puff pastry or store bought pie crust. 

I like to take Sunday's leftover whole chicken pieces to include in my filling- you can also parboil boneless skinless chicken breasts or stop by your grocery's deli and pick up a roasted chicken to pull apart and use in the filling. You can opt to make a large pie or individual pies in ramekins. Nice to have so many options!

Whole Grain Pie Crust

1 1/3 c whole grain pastry flour   
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet Stevia (or 1 tsp honey)
2 tbsp ice cold water

Mix flour, olive oil, salt and stevia together until everything is moistened. Add water and form dough into a ball. Roll dough. If you are using crust on the bottom of your pie, place dough in a 9' pie plate and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium diced onion
2 large carrots, diced 
2 celery stalks, sliced 
1 c fresh corn
1 lb button mushrooms
1 lg squash
1 c brocolini, chopped
3 tbsp whole wheat flour 
1 ½ c chicken stock
½ c soy milk
2 c rotisserie chicken, torn into pieces
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, celery, corn and mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add broccolini and squash and cook for approximately 2-4 more minutes. Toss flour over vegetable mixture and stir. Cook for a few minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and milk and bring to simmer. Stir until thickened.

Add the chicken pieces, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

Fill pie crust with filling. Place second pie crust on top, sealing the edges. Brush with egg wash, if you choose. Cut slits in the top of the pie and bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.