Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

Lets face it, no matter how committed to a diet or eating plan you may be, there are just some days when you need that indulgent comfort meal to get you through the day. We've all been there. And I'm not talking about the little bit of chocolate or decadent dessert. My previous posts have already shown that you can have those things without the guilt. I'm talking about that full on comfort meal that takes you to that special comfy place in your mind where you can really recharge your batteries. For me that food is chicken pot pie.

Normally Chicken Pot Pie is one of the unhealthy dishes out there, with the cream, buttery pastry, potatoes and dark meat chicken. Now I should point out right off the bat that this is still an indulgent meal that probably shouldn't be made into a daily selection. However this recipe significantly cuts down on the fat, calories and carbs so that you can have your indulgence and save yourself some of the guilt. I like to make the pot pies as individual pies so that some can be enjoyed immediately and others can be frozen for another indulgence down the road, but this can easily be made into one large pie for all to share.

To make individual pot pies, make sure you have good porcelain ramekins (mine are from Crate and Barrel and are fabulous). This recipe makes 4 individual pot pies

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts *You can also use bone in chicken and peel the chicken from the bones yourself. NOTE: Bone in chicken will help give a lot of flavor to the chicken stock but will be a little fattier

1/4 tsp dried Thyme

1/4 tsp dried Rosemary

1/4 tsp dried Sage

1 dried Bay Leaf

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

5 slices of dried garlic *May use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder

2 sheets of premade puff pastry crust *Pepperidge Farms is pareve for those keeping kosher PERSONAL NOTE: I only had one sheet and ended up using Phyllo dough for the top. To cut down on the fat use Phyllo dough for the bottom and top

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

8 baby carrots, chopped

3/4 cup green beans, frozen *Can use fresh or frozen green beans or peas instead

1/4 cup all purpose flour *May use whole wheat or oat flour, whatever you have in your kitchen

3 tbsp soy creamer, plain *May use any type of low fat or nondairy creamer. NOTE: Make sure to use PLAIN creamer and not sweetened creamer

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the ramekins spray the insides lightly with some cooking spray (I use Pam). This will give the pot pie crust a buttery taste without the fat.

Thaw out the pastry sheets/phyllo dough according to the package instructions. If you want to make the pastry from scratch, here is a good healthy pastry recipe, just substitute the butter with a nondairy butter like Olivio or low fat cottage cheese. Once the pastry is at room temperature, cut into large squares that exceed the size of the ramekins (I cut them into squares into between 1/3 and 1/2 a sheet). Mold the square into the ramekin creating a small crust border on the top. Be sure to cut away excess pastry that falls over the edge because that will burn in the oven. Once all the ramekins are prepped, cover with a damp paper towel to keep the dough moist while you prepare the filling.

In a large saucepan boil 4 cups of water with the thyme, rosemary, sage, sea salt, black pepper, bay leaf, garlic, and chicken. Boil the chicken for 15-20 minutes until outside of chicken looks cooked. Remove chicken and shred roughly or cube. Personal NOTE: I like to use a fork to shred the chicken roughly leaving some chunks larger. Set chicken aside and save the stock (seasoned boiling water) for later. Remember to remove the Bay leaf or the flavor will become to strong and overpowering.

Spray a large skillet with Pam. Saute the celery, onion, shallot until celery begins to turn clear, about 2 min. Add 2 cup of the saved chicken stock and simmer. Add the carrots and green beans. Cook until liquid reduces down by half.

In a separate small sauce pan add the about half of the remaining chicken stock over medium-low heat. Combine the flour, whisking until thick and smooth. Slowly add the remaining chicken stock and continue whisking to maintain the thickness of the roux (pronounce ROO). Add in the creamer and worcestershire sauce and continue whisking until the roux has a peanut butter color to it. NOTE: Make sure there are no flour clumps otherwise it will creating a floury taste and the texture of sand in your filling.

Add the chicken to the cooked vegetables. Slowly mix in the roux making sure to thoroughly stir it in to maintain the gravy consistency. If the gravy is too thick alternate between adding small amounts of water and creamer.

Divide the filling into four and pour into the preppared ramekins.

DISCLAIMER: Working with Phyllo dough can be very frustrating and difficult if you don't follow the proper process. The dough MUST be thawed in the refrigerator first then left outside to come to room temperature. Make sure that you have plenty of counter space to work in. Lay down a silpat sheet on a large space of counter or lightly flour a flat surface. Lay the first thin sheet of phyllo. Lightly spray the top with Pam (can use a brush and melted butter) and sprinkle some flour or very fine bread crumbs over the Pam. Gently place another sheet on top being careful not to break the dough or let it get folded or wrinkled. Continue the Pam and flour process and laying the sheets until you have one thick sheet about 8 sheets thick. NOTE: The flour is necessary to help placing the layered sheets without the dough sticking and making it impossible to slide into place. Try to smooth out any air bubbles in between the sheets. Cut the sheet into squares large enough to make a top for the pot pies.

Place the dough on top of the filled pies. Press the edges into the pastry (using Pam if necessary to create an adhesive to make sure the seam seals) creating a seam to seal the pot pie. Leave some edges unsealed to allow steam to escape during baking. You brush the top with an egg wash to help give the phyllo dough a golden glazed look. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly and then enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4 pies, Serving Size is 1 individual pie

grams: 329; calories: 750; fat: 30 g; sfat: 15g; protein: 30g; carbs: 78g; sodium: 1400 mg; fiber: 5g; sugar: 9g