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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Make The Ultimate Comfort Food: Chicken Pot Pie

Jenn Harris |
January 17, 2010 | 3:46 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter
chicken pot pie
Milk and flour instead of heavy cream make this pot pie a healthy alternative to grocery
store versions. (photo by Jenn Harris)

Of course homemade anything is always best, but when I was little and my mom was short on time, she'd buy chicken pot pies from Marie Callenders.  I loved them so much I would ask for one at least once a week.  There's nothing like digging your fork into a pie fresh out of the oven.  That first taste of tender chicken, carrots, peas and cream sauce is always comforting.  I would sit at the dinner table in complete bliss, making sure to get an ample amount of buttery crust in every bite.

Now whenever I eat chicken pot pie it's a nostalgic experience that takes me back to family dinners after school.  Whether you have the time once a week or once a year, I firmly believe that all home cooks should know how to make at least one version of chicken pot pie. It's a classic dish that's good on oh so many levels, and when you're on a budget, it's an easy way to make a filling meal that the entire family (or apartment full of friends) will love.

As much as I love chicken pot pie, I've come across a lot of heavy recipes that use way too much heavy cream and butter.  Because I like a good challenge and lightening up the classics, my mom and I came up with an extremely easy and healthy recipe.  A thick and satisfying mixture of milk and flour replace the traditional heavy cream and a crispy phyllo dough topping gives a nice crunch.  Marie still holds the title for best chicken pot pie on the planet, but our version is just as delicious and a whole lot lighter on your belly and your wallet.  The pre-made phyllo dough crust also cuts your cook-time in half.

Chicken Pot Pie

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

16 oz of shredded white meat chicken *cook's note: to save time and money buy a whole rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it. Costco has them for $4.99
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 carrots, sliced into small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme leaves *cook's note: dried or fresh will work but dried is always cheaper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1%, 2% or fat free milk *cook's note: use any reduced fat milk you have at home
1 small package of thawed frozen peas
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 phyllo sheets thawed

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400F. In a large saucepan heat the extra virgin olive oil and sautee the carrots and onion and thyme until vegetables are tender; about 9 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the flour and milk, then stir until the flour is well incorporated and the sauce has no clumps. Simmer the mixture on medium heat until the sauce thickens; about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat then add the peas, lemon juice and chicken.  Pour the mixture into a 9-inch casserole pan or anything you have handy to bake in. Just make sure the pan is deep enough so that you have a few inches of filling under your crust.

Take the sheets of phyllo dough and cut out a circle big enough to cover whatever you're going to bake in. Make sure the circle is a few inches bigger than what you actually need and discard the scraps. Brush a small amount of olive oil in between each layer of phyllo dough then stack the layers on top of your pie. Press the dough down gently on top of your pie and use the excess dough on the sides as a barrier by stuffing it inwards to fit just around the edges of your pan. Bake the pie for 23 minutes or until the top is golden brown.


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