I lucked out today, I'd been hoping for a rainy day that gave us some cooler weather so that I could turn on the oven. I love summer, don't get me wrong, but I love being able to cook whenever I want, and not only use the grill or the stove top. Chicken pot pie is one of my favorites (as it is Frank's) and I make it nearly on a weekly basis in the fall and winter. My favorite part about it though, is the drop biscuit crust. I'll be honest, I don't skimp on butter here, but that's where I'll be careful with the other ingredients of what I put in. I imagine this could totally be made with vegan butter, I just haven't tried - because compared to most biscuit recipes, this is still better than the norm.
Today I had the time to cook the chicken ahead of time - but I'll often use leftovers to make this, making prep during the week super quick. You'll be making your gravy from scratch here too, which I promise isn't as hard as it looks. Check out this quick video to see how to do it. Essentially, some oil, a little flour and a little milk and broth, and you have yourself a gravy base (called a roux) - then that allows you to add your favorite seasonings. I stick to salt and pepper, garlic powder, minced onion, oregano, basil and a little cayenne. I also have a poultry seasoning that I like to add, especially if I'm not using broth. Once I have added all of the liquid, which I tend to do in phases of cups, I turn my heat off, and add in my veggies and chicken. Most likely to be found in there will be carrots and peas. Today I had green beans on hand I needed to use, so I went with that. I've made it with mushrooms before, but I feel like they get a little mushy in a dish like this, so I tend to leave them out.
You'll want there to be a little more liquid then you would think you'd want - a really nice coating on everything. It'll thicken as it cooks, and so don't worry if it feels like there's too much. I remove from the heat as I prep my biscuits. Flour, a little butter, a little water and almond milk. Mix it with your hands. You want your butter to be a little more on the firm side - it'll help to make it clumpy. Its going to be messy, but that's just part of it. I don't usually season too much (if at all) because it soaks up so much of the gravy.
When its mixed, I take small handfuls and kind of flatten them out to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Place it on top of your pan, and try to fill in all the gaps. You can either put it in the oven right away for about 30-45 minutes or save it in your fridge until later.
This is one of your home cooking, not so pretty but tastes great, super filling, comfort meals. It tends to be one of those meals that people think is so much harder than it is. Give this one a shot this week.
homemade chicken pot pie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound cooked shredded chicken
2-3 cups of almond milk or broth (I usually I do half of each)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons oat flour (Love using Bob's)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
Dash of cayenne
3 diced carrots
1 ½ cup peas or green beans
For the crust
2 cups oat flour (or wheat)
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
4-5 tablespoons butter
Directions
Prepare chicken or use left overs - shed about 1 pound. Dice veggies and set aside.
In a cast iron pan, over medium to low heat, melt oil until it starts to bubble.
Sprinkle flour in pan and quickly whisk - let it rest a little, whisking slightly. Let it bubble and brown.
When it starts to smell 'nutty' add 1 cup milk and whisk quickly. Lower heat.
As it begins to thicken, add in another cup of milk or broth. Let simmer for another few minutes and add last cup of liquid.
Add seasonings to taste - use my amounts as guidance but feel free to add.
Turn off heat and add chopped veggies and chicken. Toss to coat. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix ingredients for crust with hands.
Slightly flatten dough to about 1/4 inch and cover pot pie - (this may not look pretty!)
Bake at 400 for about 30-40 minutes. I like to put under the broiler for 5-10 (keep an eye on it) to brown up the biscuit.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
xx
Rita