Chicken pot pie is one of those dishes that is especially comforting in the fall and winter months, and this version is easy to put together when you have leftover (or planned over) cooked, chopped chicken. I frequently chop leftover rotisserie chicken and put it into small bags that I stash in the freezer to use for this pie and for other dishes. You'll also need about two cups of mixed vegetables--onions, carrots, and celery--for the recipe. I usually add mushrooms, too, but they aren't essential. You can make the base for the pot pie ahead of time and refrigerate it. Before baking the pot pie, you'll need to top it, and I use biscuits that I make with sourdough discard and white whole-wheat flour. The biscuits include baking powder, so you don't need to let them rise, and they will have a nice sourdough tang to them. Parmesan cheese gives the biscuits even more flavor. With lots of vegetables, lean protein, and whole-grain fiber in the pot pie, diabetics and those wanting to "eat healthy" can enjoy the pie (in moderation, as always!). You can bake the pie in the regular oven or air fryer. Enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie With a Sourdough Parmesan Biscuit Topping -- Serves 4
2 teaspoons of canola oil
2 cups of chopped onions, carrots, and celery (I use 1 medium onion, a stalk or so of
celery, and a large handful of chopped baby carrots)
4 ounces of sliced mushrooms (about 1 - 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper, plus extra to taste
2 tablespoons of white whole-wheat flour
1 3/4 cups of water
2 teaspoons of reduced sodium chicken base (I use "Better Than Bullion")
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 - 1 cup of light sour cream
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the vegetables. Sprinkle them with the salt and pepper and saute them for about 10 minutes or until they soften. Sprinkle on the white whole-wheat flour and stir it into the vegetables, letting everything cook together for a few minutes. Add the water and stir in the chicken base, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Partially cover the pan and let everything cook for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, the liquid has reduced, and the mixture has thickened to a gravy-like consistency. Stir in the chicken and the sour cream. You can adjust the amount of sour cream to give you a thicker or thinner consistency, depending on your preference (and how much sour cream you have/want to use). Taste the mixture and add a bit more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Spritz a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. I use an 8-inch aluminum foil pan inside a thicker aluminum pan (because the foil pan is too flimsy on its own) for easy cleanup. Pour the chicken base mixture into the pan. You can cool and refrigerate the chicken base layer to bake later or bake it immediately after topping it with the biscuits below. When you're ready to bake, top the pot pie with the biscuits, preheat the oven (or air fryer, if you prefer) to 350 degrees, and bake the pot pie for 20-25 minutes. If you have refrigerated the base layer, you'll need to give it a little longer in the oven (5-10 minutes, usually).
Sourdough Biscuit Topping
1 cup of white whole-wheat flour, plus extra to sprinkle
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra on top of the biscuits
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
2-3 tablespoons of milk
In a large bowl combine the cup of white whole-wheat flour, grated Parmesan, baking powder, and salt and mix them well. Cut the butter into smallish bits and mash it into the flour mixture with a fork (or use a pastry blender, if you prefer). Drizzle in the oil a tablespoon at a time and mix it into the flour mixture with the fork, too. Stir in the sourdough starter/discard. The mixture should start to come together but is likely to be crumbly. Add just enough milk to bring it together. Sprinkle the counter with a bit of flour and dump the mixture out onto the flour. Pat the mixture together into a ball, then flatten it out until it's about an inch thick. Using a round cutter or a drinking glass cut 5-7 biscuits and place them on top of the chicken base. (I usually cut 7 biscuits and use only 4-5 on top of the pot pie. The remainder of the biscuits I bake alongside the pie or refrigerate, wrapped in plastic, to bake in the air fryer for breakfast). Spritz the tops of the biscuits with a little olive oil or non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle the tops lightly with a little grated Parmesan cheese. Bake the pot pie as indicated above.
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