Chicken pot pie

The comforting aroma and taste of a chicken pot pie – what more could you want to warm you up from from the inside out?

There’s something just so warm and cozy about a chicken pot pie, isn’t there?  But how do you get it so the crust is flaky and buttery, without any gluten or dairy?  Well, you experiment.  A lot.  And look on the Internet for more inspiration.  And experiment even more.  Until you just happen to fall on the right combination of ingredients, and recipes.  Which is this recipe for us.  

I originally started thinking about trying to make a pot pie around Thanksgiving last year.   Oh, that was a Thanksgiving to remember.  We bought a turkey breast, and tried to cook it on our Traeger.  But even after 4 hours, and inching up the temperature, it was after 2pm and we still didn’t have any turkey that was cooked.  But the rest of the meal was ready – our pumpkin stuffing, spanish potato salad and our spinach peach salad (all of our favorites in one meal).  So we decided to eat the sides and leave the turkey for later.  After our pumpkin pie.  But then, we were so full, we didn’t eat any turkey!

And then I thought, let me use this turkey, with the gravy that came with it, and find a good recipe for a pastry that I could put on top.  I found this recipe from Michelle at Paleo Running Momma and thought it had promise.  Let me tell you all, the pastry was awesome.  And with the leftover turkey and gravy, some extra veggies and the right meal timing, this turkey pot pie was a winner.  I tried Michelle’s filling again with another pastry recipe, but that didn’t quite work out as well.  So then, we decided that this current recipe was the best.  Grant has even said that he’d pay for this – and maybe we could incorporate this in our menu if we ever get our dream of owning and running a coffee shop!

Yes, this recipe is a little bit longer than my normal recipes, but it is definitely worth the extra effort.  I hope you enjoy this chicken pot pie as much as we do.  Please let me know in the comments below if you try it!

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Chicken pot pie

(Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tbs coconut flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup palm oil shortening
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 1/2 lb chicken breasts
• 1/2 small onion diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 cup broccoli diced
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 2 tbs tapioca flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tbs poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tbs parsley leaves
• 1 egg plus 1 tbs water for egg wash

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the egg in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles thick crumbs.  Then pulse or process the egg until a dough forms.

2. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes prior to pressing and rolling out the dough.

For the filling:

1. Poach the chicken in water for approximately 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.  Cube and set aside to cool.

2. Steam the cubed carrots until just tender and set aside with the chicken.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray 4 small ramekins with cooking spray.

4. Heat a large frying pan and add the avocado oil.  Add the onion and celery and cook until the onions are translucent.

5. Whisk in the tapioca flour and continue whisking until slightly thickened and sticky.

6. Add the chicken broth and keep stirring often until boiling.  Once boiled, lower the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until thickened.

7. Add the almond milk, seasonings, chicken, carrots and broccoli to the thickened onion and celery mixture.  Stir until well mixed then set aside.

For assembly:

1. Take the pastry ball out of the refrigerator and divide into 4 equal parts.  

2. Roll out each part between two pieces of parchment paper or clingwrap until the desired thickness (approximately 1/4").

3. Fill each ramekin almost up to the top.  Carefully roll each disk on top of the ramekin and seal the edges as required.  Note that this dough will break easily, but it can also be repaired easily!

4. Use a thin knife and make 3-4 slits on the top of each crust, and gently brush with the egg wash.

5. Place ramekins on a large baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through.