Kelly the Culinarian: Cooking with Kelly: Chicken pot freed from the pie

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Cooking with Kelly: Chicken pot freed from the pie

First, business. I'm doing a project for the Associated Press (highlight of my life!) about politics and young people. Please check out our AP video, produced by fellow grad student Emily Wood, and leave a comment on YouTube if you're so inclined.

Meanwhile ... It's starting to get a little chilly in Washington. I could see my breath today as I walked to the Metro and it rained the entire morning. I just wanted to stay in bed, but alas, the news waits for no one.

I had a hankering for some comfort food. Pasta in the microwave is a bit iffy and most of my go-to meals are out of the question without an oven.

I was thinking chicken pot pie, but I was not about to eat one of those things that come out of the box. I have nothing against frozen dinners; I just can't seem to find a decent pot pie from a box that still has a flaky crust. Besides, I want something a little more figure friendly and those box things aren't that cheap

So here's my single chicken breast, veggie-rich pot pie recipe. I trimmed off the fat from the chicken and used very little oil, so this is cost effective and healthier than anything from those boxes.

So here's how I went about it:
1 chicken breast, cubed
1/2 white onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, cleaned and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into circles
1/2 a baking potato, sliced
Salt, pepper and poultry seasoning
Spray cooking oil
1/4 water (or white wine or chicken stock)
2 prepared biscuits
1/2 cup peas
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Season the chicken pieces with pepper, salt and poultry seasoning to taste (I used about a teaspoon of the poultry seasoning). Use enough spray cooking oil to coat the pan evenly and heat to medium, then cook the chicken pieces through, about four minutes. Remove chicken and cover.

Re-coat the pan with a spritz of cooking oil and add garlic, onion and celery; cook for five minutes. Begin cooking the biscuits, according to the package instruction (I made mine in my Xpress101 cooker thing). Add carrots, potato and water; cook until carrots are soft but still have a bite, about seven minutes. Add peas, parsley and chicken, toss to coat and allow to warm for one minute, covered.

To serve, place a scoop of the chicken and veggies mixture in a bowl. Cover with halves of the biscuit.

It's not quite like homemade pot pie, but it's better for you than what my mother made. There less fat because there's not the starchy sauce I remember. Also, one biscuit per serving instead of a butter-laden top and bottom crust is probably better overall as well. And there's more veggies per serving in this recasting of a pot pie. I personally added a little too much pepper, mostly because I'm excited to use my new battery-operated pepper mill.

I'll be eating these leftovers for a few days, too.

42 comments:

Raks said...

Thanx for visiting my blog...!!!and leaving your comment....:-)
You and me have the same layout??!!

Anonymous said...

I like the idea that its minus the pie. Don't always need the pie. ;-) Thanks for stopping by.

Congrats below to your friend who got a new job.

Paz

♥ ♡ Alvin ♡ ♥ said...

hehe.... looks yummy! it makes me feel hungry now~ not yet have my breakfast yet!

and nice to meet you, i see your pic kelly~ :D

Lynda Lehmann said...

ummm, you have made me good and hungry, and it's 9:30 at night! i guess i'll have to settle for a pretzel!

thanks for visiting my post on autumn!

Lynda Lehmann said...

Oh, and congrats on the AP assignment!

L'abeille said...

Thanks for dropping by at my blog. Hey you've a pretty nice blog here and I love pie stuffings.. I'll definately try out your recipe..

ling239 said...

Wow... very specific time given for cooking just what i needed !!
because i cant cook at all... >.<"

Tks for dropping by my blog, and glad to know u, cheers ~ ^_^

Zandria said...

This sounds delish! A better-for-you pot pie is always a good thing. :)

daphne said...

nice! hv to be creative to get over the cravings huh! =)

tigerfish said...

This is definitely an easier preparation :)

Pak Zawi said...

Kelly,
The chicken pot pie seems appetizing and fairly easy to cook. Since I do cook sometimes I will try your recipe one of these days.
Thank you for visiting my site.

Big Boys Oven said...

oh so lovely! looks so delicious yummy!

Nick Chan said...

Thanks for dropping by at my blog. Haha. The pie looks delicious, I didn't eat a pot pie before. Well, I think I should print this and ask mom to make me an american food. Sweet!

Dagny said...

But, but, but fat is so tasty. Nothing like a stick of butter or two.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

I went through a time when I tried all the boxed pot pies: loved the tops; the bottoms were well bottoms. They have nothing to do with health. Yours looks healthy AND tasty. Great photo with all the veggies!

Unknown said...

Thanx for visiting my blog(",)
Nice cookin'.Heheh.

~Christine~Leng said...

thx for sharing the recipe!
nice... :)

Taylor said...

I've been craving pot pie, too. It's definitely the weather.

FH said...

Pot Pie!! Sounds great! We love them too! Poultry seasoning makes one tasty gravy!:)

wmw said...

Sometimes, leftovers taste better! :o) Thanks for visiting my photo blog. Since you like food, I've also a food blog, check it out.

Rosie said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and for your kind comment :)

Mmmmmmmm your dish is real comfort food and looks amazing!!

Lovely blog you have too!!

People St.Clair said...

oh this looks delicious. I'm trying this recipe. You always have wonderful things for me to test out in my kitchen :)

Kara said...

Well, I've been lucky enough to at least live through one great season as a Deac... last year's ACC Championship team and subsequent Orange Bowl appearance.

So you are in DC now? I see you've tried some of the area greats... we LOVE Five Guys!!

bp said...

Woohoo! AP!!! Way to go, Kelly!!! That's big news all right =)

Mmm, mmm! Your chix pot looks yum! I like to do all-in-one stir-fry dishes like this, too! =)

bj said...

Boy Howdy, that sounds really good. Thanks for sharing...
bj

Aimée said...

That's a good idea. It must be challenging sometimes to cook for one. I use puff pasty for a topping sometimes--it's always flaky!

Anonymous said...

I loved pot pies growing up, especially the tuna. I don't think they make them anymore. I much rather have home cooking just like yours :)

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Great recipe! Most of those frozen dinners just have the crust crimped on top anyway, so you still end up with more flaky biscuit crust in your version, even though the chicken is freed from the pot!

madre-terra said...

So young and she can cook, wow. I like the idea of the pie out of the pot. In my house I eat gluten-free so I like the idea of the crust optional. Who says you can't teach an ol' dog new tricks?

Sophie said...

Kelly this sounds great - my husband would love a healthier pie recipe! Can you explain what biscuits are (as in I know they aren't the same as what we call biscuits in the UK, which are more like your cookies!)

Diane said...

This sounds delicious -I will definitely give it a try!

Diane
http://dianealdred.com

(remembered this time!)

Marianne said...

Looks great! Who needs an oven?!

Seena said...

It is really interesting to know about your style of cooking..will come back to read more..

Speedcat Hollydale said...

Wow, lots of comments - good for you! I also think this looks fantastic. My wife claims that Marie Calandaers frozen pot pie is good in a pinch... but this one you made, whooo hooooo!!!

Hello from Speedy

darlene said...

wow, looks great kelly!!...why dont ya join me on Wednesday ..for whats cooking wednesday!!...will post a linc to you if you want to play!!...let me know...;-)

Mark Antony said...

Looks really good! However, in my own case it's going to be the "pasta in the microwave" I'm afraid for convenience! But I'd sure like to try yours ;)

Thanks for stopping by my site :)

Anonymous said...

This sounds delicious. I love homemade chicken pot pie. I'm glad I discovered your site. I'll add it to my RSS feeds
Chris

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A yummy looking dish! Perfect for the cold days (like today)...

Cheers,

Rosa

winedeb said...

Wow Kelly what a marvelous idea! I am not a crust person so this fits the bill, and quickly too!
Yum!

Misty DawnS said...

My step-daughter would love this!

Unknown said...

This looks like comfort food, and I actually prefer it with out the crust! Perfect.
Kristen
http://dineanddish.squarespace.com

Annikke said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and posting about my dad... I'm glad he is ok too!! Phew!!

This recipe sounds yummy so I am going to try it! Thanks!