Chicken pot pie:  Deconstructed

The message was simple:  “Please deconstruct a chicken pot pie.”   

My immediate response:  "Sure, but do you really want to?"

There is nothing better than a luscious chicken pot pie:  A thick creamy sauce covering an array of succulent vegetables, an abundance of shredded white meat, and topped off with a buttery, flaky crust!  My mouth waters at the very thought!  

When I first began making chicken pot pie from scratch, I used pretty classic techniques for creating the gravy.   After sauteing the vegetables in butter, I added flour to create a roux, and chicken broth and cream to finish it off.  But I wanted more depth of flavor! 

So I began to experiment, and found a combination of cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, Half and Half, and chicken bouillon created the best flavors for me.  If any of those ingredients  create health concerns for you, your best bet may be to go back to the traditional roux!  

As I began to deconstruct my recipe, I realized that I had already made adjustments to lower the fat content.  But there were other ingredients that could be substituted or adjusted to make an even healthier dish, without sacrificing the taste.

I prepare a chicken pot pie in two stages.  I assemble the pie crust dough, dice the vegetables, and refrigerate overnight.  (Note:  potatoes must be diced the day of cooking and set in cold water until using, or they will turn brown.)  Finally, I assemble the spice packet.

The next day, I prepare the filling, attach the spice packet to pot and dunk it into the mixture.  While that is simmering, I roll out the pie crust on parchment paper, then roll it up in the paper, and refrigerate it until needed. Once the filling has reached the desired consistency, I simply pour the filling (minus the spice packet) into a greased casserole dish, and cover it with the pie crust, rolling up the edges  of the crust to fit inside, rather than on top, of the baking dish.  Then into the oven it goes!

Janes’s luscious chicken pot pie

The filling:

2-3 c. shredded chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c. chicken broth (one can)

2 c. Half and Half

1 c. diced onions

½ c. diced carrots

½ c. diced celery

½ c. sliced mushrooms

Optional: ½ c. diced potatoes

¼ c. frozen peas

¼ c. frozen corn

¼ c. butter

2 roasted garlic cloves, smashed

1 TB. chicken bouillon

1 TB. dry parsley

1 tsp. dry sage

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste  

Dice the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and potatoes.  Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the vegetables until soft.  Add the smashed garlic and stir.  Let simmer an additional two minutes.  Add the soup, chicken broth, Half and Half, and bouillon, and stir well.  Attach the spice packet to the side of the pan, and let it sink into the mixture.  Simmer half covered for approximately two hours, until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Add the chicken, peas, corn, and remaining spices, and let simmer for a half hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.

Pour into the prepared casserole dish.  Place the pie crust on top of the mixture, folding the ends so the crust fits into the dish.  Bakes at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let the pie cool for about 10 minutes.  Serve in bowls, including both the pie crust and filling with each serving.

The spice sack:

1 tsp. dry rosemary

1 tsp. dry marjoram

1 tsp. dry thyme

2 bay leaves

In a 4” x 4” piece of cheesecloth or light cotton, assemble the spices in the middle.  Pull together all four corners of the cloth, and tie tightly with an eight-inch length of string.  Attach to the handle of the pot and let sink into the filling.  Remove before preparing the pot pie.

The crust:

2 ½ c. flour

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. shortening

2 tsp. salt

6 to 8 TB. water

In a large bowl, place the flour, salt, butter and shortening.  Using clean hands, mix together until the mixture forms into large pebbles.  Gradually add in the water until the mixture forms into a cohesive ball.  (Note: you may not need all of the water.)  Wrap in plastic wrap, place in Ziploc bag, and refrigerate overnight. The next day:  Remove from the refrigerator and let it sit about 15 minutes, allowing dough to soften.  Roll out into a large circle on a floured surface, rotating the direction you roll out dough to maintain a circular shape.  Role the dough out until it is about 1/8 inch thick or it completely covers the top of the casserole dish.  Place the dough on parchment or wax paper.

At this point you can seal any cracks with water, or use the casserole dish to cut out a well-defined circle, if desired.  Roll the dough up tightly and place in the refrigerator until needed.  Unroll, pierce the dough in several places to allow the steam to escape, and place over the filling in the casserole dish, either rolling up the excess dough around the edges, or removing it with a knife. (Chef's tip:  Save all the scraps of the pie dough, shape into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze.  You never know when you'll need it!)

Jane's deconstructed chicken pot pie 

Chicken pot pie with phyllo (filo) dough

The filling:

3-4 c.  shredded chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

>Fat alert:  Cream of chicken soup can have a high fat content.  It can be substituted with a low fat or fat free variety, or a prepared fat-free chicken, turkey, or mushroom gravy. 

>Health alert:  Cream of chicken soup can also have a high salt content.  If salt is a concern, look for a low-sodium variety.

>Health alert: When fat is removed from a product, food manufacturers often increase the sugar or salt content.  Read the labels of the soup or prepared gravy carefully to determine whether the salt or sugar content is acceptable.

>Health alert:  Some varieties of cream of chicken soup or prepared gravy are packed with a wide variety of allergens, including MSG, and gluten.  Read the labels carefully 

>Ingredient alert:  The cream of chicken soup is intended for use as a thickener.  Some versions may require more or less liquid to make a thick, creamy sauce.  If you are unsure how creamy the sauce will be, start by adding only half the liquid called for, and gradually adding more until the sauce reaches the desire thickness.  If no brand of soup or gravy is acceptable for allergy reasons, chicken broth thickened with corn starch, agar agar, or flour is acceptable.

 2 c. chicken broth (or one can)

>Fat alert:  I make my own chicken broth, and strain it to remove the fat.  But canned chicken broth can have a high fat content.  If fat is a concern, substitute a low fat or fat-free variety, or dilute the broth with water. Swanson’s Natural Goodness Chicken Broth or Swanson’s Chicken Broth are 100% fat free. 

>Health alert:  Canned chicken broth can also have a high salt content.  Low sodium options are available, including the Swanson’s fat-free options mentioned above.  However, homemade chicken broth, where you can control the salt content, may be the best option!  Use herbs instead of salt to build flavor.

>Health alert: Chicken broth can also contain a variety of allergens, including MSG.  MSG-free broth or chicken bouillon cubes may be an appropriate substitute.  Vegan vegetable stock, or homemade chicken broth are suitable substitutes.

1 ½-2 c. Half and Half 

>Fat alert:  Half and Half contains fat.  If you don’t care about fat, you can substitute Half and Half with heavy cream.  If you want to reduce the fat, there are a wide variety of options available, including low fat and fat free Half and Half.  Half and Half can also be diluted with water or a low-fat milk, or substituted completely with low-fat or skim milk, or water.

>Ingredient alert:  Half and Half is used in this recipe to create a creamier sauce.  Be careful when making a substitution.  Using lower fat liquid will result in a thinner sauce.  Consider reducing the amount of the liquid by half, or creating a slurry of liquid and corn starch to thicken the sauce. Half and Half also adds flavor to the gravy.  Substituting a different ingredient may change the flavor.

1 c. diced onions

½ c. diced carrots

½ c. diced celery

½ c. sliced mushrooms

Optional: ½ c. diced potatoes

¼ c. frozen peas

¼ c. frozen corn 

>Health alert:  Some diets prohibit carrots, potatoes, and/or corn.  If necessary, eliminate that ingredient, and double one of the acceptable ones, and substitute with asparagus, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, or eggplant. 

>Ingredient alert:  You want to maintain the amount of vegetables and meat (4 ½ to 5 c.) in the pot pie to ensure the filling is hearty.   However, if you want more meat, reduce the amount of vegetables accordingly.  If you want more vegetables, reduce the amount of the meat.  Different vegetables will also change the flavor of the final dish.  Taste the vegetable combination before using to ensure the flavors compliment each other!  When cooked down, the sauce should complement, rather than overwhelm, the other ingredients! 

¼ c. butter 

>Fat alert:  Yes, butter contains fat!  If this is a concern, the vegetables can be roasted in the oven with a light touch of oil spray (such as PAM), or lightly sautéed using a mock light butter spray, such as I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! 

>Ingredient alert:  There is no substitute for the taste of butter!  You can, however, add additional spices to maintain the depth of flavor butter provides. Try adding basil, savory, dill, or lemon zest to your spice packet.

2 roasted garlic cloves, smashed

1 TB. chicken bouillon

>Health alert:  Chicken bouillon can contain all sorts of nasty allergens, including MSG.  Read carefully the labels of the product you choose!

>Ingredient alert:  Chicken bouillon is used to increase the depth of flavor.  Try Vegan or organic alternatives, or Swanson’s Flavor Boost, which is MSG –free, as a substitute.  If necessary, you can also eliminate this ingredient altogether. 

1 TB. dry parsley

1 tsp. dry sage

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste 

(Follow the instructions above.)

The spice sack:

1 tsp.dry rosemary

1 tsp .dry marjoram

1 tsp. dry thyme

2 bay leaves

(Follow the instructions above.)

The crust:

2 ½ c. flour

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. shortening

2 tsp. salt

6 to 8 TB. ice water 

>Fat alert:  Pie crust has a high fat content.  Consider substituting the crust with 2 cups of low-fat Bisquick and 1 c. water, and pouring it on top of the filling, and baking it according to the instructions.  Low fat, ready-made biscuits may also be dropped on top of the contents, “dumpling style.”  In the alternative, try strips of phyllo (filo) dough, or low fat cracker or bread crumbs.

>Ingredient alert:  One of the advantages of using pie crust is the buttery taste.  In terms of flavor, there may be no suitable substitute!  However, you can boost the taste of the suggested alternatives with your favorite herbs.  I like to mix tarragon or rosemary into the biscuit dough to create complementary flavors.