Clean Eating Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 18 servings (3 pies with 6 slices each)

This is definitely one of my signature dishes. I usually have one or two slices stashed away in the freezer to pull out if a friend comes over and is having a rough day :) I'm not going to lie, this dish is a labor of love. I promise you it's COMPLETELY worth it, though. My sister, Anthea, is probably the pickiest eater on the planet and doesn't really like any vegetables. But for her birthday this year, she asked me to make her these chicken pot pies for her freezer instead of getting her a present, LOL. Plus this yields 3 pies so, even though it takes a little extra time and effort on the front end, you'll be able to enjoy the results for weeks to come. I usually omit the wine when I’m cooking but it really adds something special to this dish. UPDATE: Check out the new instructions on how to make the filling in the slowcooker to speed up the overall cooking time!!

If it looks this good, imagine how great it tastes and smells :)

Ingredients:

Pie Crust (for each pie plate) -

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (total of 3 cups)
• 1 tsp sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won't be "clean") (total of 3 tsp)
• ¾ tsp salt (total of 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (total of 3/4 cups)
• 2 Tbsp milk (total of 6 Tbsp)

Pie Filling -

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 2 small celery ribs, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 bunch asparagus, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup red wine
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 5 medium)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup frozen beans (butter beans work well)

Biscuits -

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup milk

Prepare 3 9-inch pie plates with crust:
ONE: Into the pie plate stir together flour, sucanat, and salt.

TWO: With a fork, whip together oil and milk; pour over flour mixture. Mix with fork until all flour is dampened.

THREE: Press dough evenly against bottom and sides of plate.

FOUR: Preheat oven to 400. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil, bake for 4-5 minutes more until pastry is set and dry.

I only had two pie plates so I used a cake pan. It worked :)

  Pie Filling and Biscuit Topping:
ONE: Combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, asparagus, oil, and ½ tsp salt in a large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until veggies have softened, about 8-10 minutes.

TWO: Sprinkle flour over the veggies, stir well, and let cook 3 minutes. Stir in broth and wine and bring to a simmer.

THREE: Nestle chicken breasts into sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10-12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

FOUR: Return sauce to simmer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat stir in beans and season with salt and pepper.

FIVE: Shred chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces, stir into sauce. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into each pie plate.

CROCKPOT INSTRUCTIONS: Throw all of the filling ingredients except for the beans into the crockpot and cook on high 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove the lid and continue cooking while you assemble the pie crusts (this gives the filling a chance to thicken). While the pie crusts are baking, use a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken out of the sauce into a bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken and then add it back to the pot. Finally add the frozen beans and season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into each pie plate. Do a little happy dance because you saved so much time assembling this dish and the chicken was so tender and easy to shred. Kiss your crockpot.

SIX: Whisk together dry biscuit ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl. Whisk the oil and milk together and stir into flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain.

SEVEN: Pinch off small pieces of biscuit dough and sprinkle over pies.

EIGHT: Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until biscuits are golden and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.





Let cool completely in the fridge over night. Cut into slices and freeze using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash. Reheat in the microwave or thaw and reheat in the oven.



NUTRITION INFO:



Per serving - 290 Calories (119 Calories from Fat), 13g Total Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 5mg Cholesterol, 544mg Sodium, 35g Total Carbohydrates, 6g Dietary Fiber, 3g Sugar, 10g Protein, 75% Vitamin A, 8% Vitamin C, 10% Calcium, 15% Iron

:)