Chicken pot pie is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter night, unless you're lactose intolerant. Then it can be quite uncomfortable. Most recipes call for milk, cream, or creamy condensed soup. Here's a simple pot pie recipe that I crafted to be dairy free! It's also very good for you. A chicken pot pie made with ingredients that are not low in sodium can contain over 1,000mg of sodium in a single serving. All that salt is unnecessary! Replace it with flavor. There are a few extra steps than the canned soup method, but it's still fairly simple and totally worth it. Remember to rinse your shredded chicken breast after draining the liquid from the can to reduce the sodium content.
Ingredients
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened (FYI: Pillsbury crusts contain hydrogenated oils which = trans fat)
3 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground sage
1 12.5 oz can Valley Fresh low sodium chicken breast, drained and rinsed
1 4.5 oz canValley Fresh low sodium chicken breast, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, rinsed (corn, peas, carrots, green beans, lima beans)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place one pie crust inside a 9 inch glass pie pan--don't trim excess just yet!
2. In a large saucepan, melt Smart Balance over medium low heat. Add chopped yellow onion, sea salt, and pepper, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in flour until blended, and quickly follow with chicken broth, gradually adding the broth while stirring constantly. Add thyme and sage. Cook for about two minutes or until mixture starts to bubble and get thick.
4. Stir in shredded chicken and mixed vegetables until well combined. Let cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat and spoon complete mixture into prepared pie crust. Top with the second pie crust and seal the two crust together with a fork. Fold the extra over and under the edge of the pie pan. This will prevent the crusts from separating while baking. Trim the excess dough underneath the edge.
6. Cut five slits in the center of the pie to let steam escape. Bake fifteen minutes to brown crust, then reduce heat to 350 and cook for twenty-five to thirty minutes. If crust starts to burn, you can carefully cover the edges with foil. Let pie stand for at least 10-20 minutes before serving. The longer it sits the easier it is to serve, but if you are really hungry you should just dig in.
