Comforting Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is such a comfort food. It tastes like Sunday dinner at Mom’s house. It tastes like home.

However, considering the pie crust and gravy consisting of mostly heavy cream, the traditional chicken pot pie could use a healthy makeover. Don’t get me wrong, I have no wish to banish pie crusts from my world. I do think there are other options for savoury, but everyday dinners.

Without sacrificing the real food, my Great-Grandma could have made this kind of dish feel. That kind of a makeover.

This healthy chicken pot pie recipe uses a brown rice crust. It works surprisingly well – it forms a crispy edge to the pie, to hold the filling in. It tastes nothing like pastry though, so don’t get your hopes too high Not too worry too much though, the crust also has some parmesan cheese in it, so the taste goes way beyond plain brown rice.

Image Source: The Yale Sustainable Food Project

However, the magic of this dish is the leeks.  I don’t know how I’d never tried a leek before, but I am in love. Once cooked, the leeks taste a combination of sweet, almost caramelized, but still savoury, without being as sharp as onions.  I’m pretty sure leeks are little pieces of heaven. Gigantic green onions from heaven.

The heavy cream is replaced with spelt flour and chicken broth sauce – and you wouldn’t even know the difference. This dish melts in your mouth.

I’m home! Comfort food, made from real, clean foods. It tastes delicious, and you know it’s good for you. This recipe is definitely a new favourite in our house!

Don’t be scared by the long ingredient or direction list – all of the ingredients are easy to find, and the directions are very simple!

Chicken Pot Pie, with a Brown Rice Crust

adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 C cooked brown rice
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/4 C grated parmesan
• 1 chicken breast, cooked* and cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 turnip, chopped
• 1 leek, white and green parts sliced
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 C white navy beans, cooked or canned
• 3 tbsp spelt or whole-wheat flour
• 2 C chicken broth
• 1/3 C fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp dried sage

+ 4 oven safe bowls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Combine flax meal with 2 tbsp of water to make a flax egg. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken.
3. Combine flax egg with brown rice and parmesan.
4. Spray bowls with non-stick cooking spray, and divide rice mixture among bowls.
5. Press rice mixture into the bottom and sides of bowls, to form a crust.
6. Bake crusts for 10 minutes, remove and let cool.
7. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and saute for about 1 minute.
8. Add carrots, turnip, leek and onion, and cook stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables soften.
9. Add flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring to mix thoroughly.
10. Add broth and stir until mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 4-5 minutes.
11. Stir in yogurt, and mix well. Add beans, chicken and sage. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
12. Distribute chicken mixture amongst the four rice crusts. Cover with foil, and bake until filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes. You may want to remove the foil during the last 5-10 minutes to let the top brown.

*I used a George Foreman grill to cook the chicken breast.

I made this dish in individual glass dishes, for ease of leftovers, but you could make one large dish as well.

What are some of your favourite comfort foods?

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Tagged as: dinner, real food, recipes, vegetables