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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie


Lighter Chicken Pot Pie | The Sweets Life
Lighter Chicken Pot Pie 

Shortcuts are necessary. Of course I wish I had the time to make homemade bread or my own hummus each week, but the reality is I have to take some shortcuts. There are weeks where I can find a few extra hours to go the extra mile in the kitchen, but when I can't, I'm turning to meals like this one!
Pin ItLighter Chicken Pot Pie | The Sweets Life
I took Martha Stewart's more complicated recipe and introduced a few shortcuts, such as a bag of frozen vegetables and cooked and shredded chicken I already had on hand. I omitted onion (was trying to avoid any chopping!) and added a teaspoon of kickin' chicken seasoning to jazz up the flavor (which worked tremendously well!). These changes saved me at least 20 minutes which may not seem like much, but it's amazing what else I can get done in those 20 minutes!
Lighter Chicken Pot Pie | The Sweets Life
As it turned out, I ended up freezing this and cooking it a few weeks later. It help up remarkably well and is going on my list of freezer meals to make during my next marathon freezer-cooking session with friends. My only comment is that phyllo doesn't reheat well in the microwave; we didn't mind eating it the second night a little soggy, but you may want to plan to share with friends or divide into smaller portions if you know you'll have leftovers!

One Year Ago: Apple Butter Baked Oatmeal
Two Years Ago: Bogart's Smokehouse and Shredded Vegetable Detox Salad 
Three Years Ago: Broccoli Apple Salad and Zucchini Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Four Years Ago: Pomegranate Banana Bread and October Special Egg Sandwich
Five Years Ago: Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Best Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

Printer-Friendly Recipe
Ingredients:
-2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
-2 tbsp olive oil, plus additional for phyllo
-1 package frozen vegetables, thawed (mine was a mix of carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli)
-2 cups frozen peas, thawed
-coarse salt & ground pepper
-1/4 tsp dried thyme
(-1 tsp kickn chicken seasoning *optional)
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-2 1/2 cups milk (use 1% for lower fat, I used 2%)
-6 phyllo sheets, thawed

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables (excluding peas) with thyme and additional seasoning, if using. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables have softened. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer and thicken.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chicken and peas. Further season with salt and pepper if desired. Pour filling into a casserole dish (mine was 11 x 7). Working quickly, lay a piece of phyllo on top of the filling. Brush lightly with olive oil and repeat with remaining pieces of phyllo.
4. If cooking immediately, bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes. If freezing, wrap tightly with foil and freeze. To bake, allow to thaw overnight before cooking at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

inspired by Martha Stewart