Best Light Comfort Food Recipes: How To Make A Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

What better comfort food than chicken pot pie? This recipe, however, helps cut the fat and calories and at the same time is relatively easy to make. It has an upper crust but no bottom crust as the top is a biscuit rather than a pie crust.

I've made this recipe for friends who had surgery or some event in their life and dropped it off at their home to make things easier and I've received rave reviews. I have also made it several times for my own family and got the same response so think this lightened recipe stands up!

For a variation of it or to save time, you can eliminate the biscuit dough and just use prepared biscuits or use a biscuit mix, although personally I love the homemade biscuit topping much better.

FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 6 medium carrots peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 small celery stalks sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 medium garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon olive or canola oil (or substitute vegetable spray)
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (or substitute chicken broth or water)
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 medium breasts trimmed of excess fat
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup non-fat half and half (or substitute milk)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or dried)
• Black pepper

BISCUIT INGREDIENTS (or substitute packaged biscuit dough)

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional or to taste)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine melted
• 2/3 cup buttermilk

PREPARATION

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Ready a 13 x 9 baking dish.

FILLING PREPARATION

1. Combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large pan.
2. Cover and cook over medium-low heat stirring often until vegetables are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Stir in sherry, broth, bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
4. Set the chicken breasts in the sauce.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and thickest part registers 160 degrees on meat thermometer, about 10-12 minutes
6. Transfer chicken to a plate. Set aside to cool
7. Return the sauce to a simmer.
8. Whisk cornstarch and half and half together. Whisk into the simmering sauce.
9. Continue to simmer the sauce until it thickens, about 1 minute.
10. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves, stir in the peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite sized pieces.
12. Stir the shredded chicken into sauce.
13. Pour entire mixture into the 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.

BISCUIT PREPARATION

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter and buttermilk together.
3. Gently stir the buttermilk and butter mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula but don’t over-mix. Stir until just combined and no flour pockets remain.
4. Pinch biscuit dough off into 8 equal pieces. Place on top of the hot filling spaced about 1/2 inch apart. (If using prepared biscuits here - simply place on top about 1/2 inch apart)
5. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes.
6. Cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving or cool and store in refrigerator and reheat when ready.

I found this recipe in cookbook The Best Light Recipe which is put out by cooks.com. I have also made this recipe with beef and just vegetables - so a beef pot pie and a vegetable pot pie.

This recipe is from the puff pastry shells from Pepperidge Farms and in a pinch, makes a quicker variation of pot pies.  You could also improvise on this recipe and make your own pastry shells, which I am going to see if I can do soon!

Prep time 25 minutes – Bake time 30 min
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• Puff Pastry Shells such as Pepperidge Farms - 1 package
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or vegetable spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can 10-3/4 oz Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (low salt)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pkg 10 oz frozen peas and carrots
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the shells and place on cooking sheet.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes.
5. Use a table knife to remove the center top and soft pastry underneath – use tops as garnish.
6. Once the shells are baked and tops removed continue on.
7. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat.
8. Add onion and cook until tender.
9. Add soup, milk, peas and carrots in skillet and heat to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to low.
11. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
12. Add chicken and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.
13. Spoon into pastry shells and place tops on over filling.

Serve with a green salad and you have a wonderful meal.