People ask me for this recipe all the time. Adults and kids love it. I usually make 3 at a time – one for dinner, two to freeze. Root vegetables are in season right now, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them. I included pictures of celery root and parsnips, in case you’ve never bought those before. Also, you can use store bought pie crust, if you aren’t feeling adventurous (that is what I do). Natural food stores (e.g., Whole Foods, etc.) have whole wheat pie crusts that are really good. I still roll it out in wax or parchment paper and make a lattice across the top of the pie, by cutting it into strips with a pizza cutter. It is definitely good enough to serve to guests, and makes an impressive presentation with the lattice crust.
Filling:
- 3 cups fat-free less sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas, thawed
- 1 cup (1/2 inch) cubed peeled baking potato
- 1 cup (1/2 inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
- 1 cup (1/2 inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root)
- 1 cup (1/2 inch thick) slices parsnip
- 1 (10-oz) package frozen pearl onions
- 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup fat-free milk
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Cooking spray
Crust:
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour (could also use regular wheat or all purpose white)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/6 cup skim milk
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Bring broth to a boil in a large pan or pot. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.
- Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon 2/3 cup flour into dry measuring; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually add 1 ½ cup milk to the bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, 1 ½ tsp salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11×7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
- For crust combine oil, ½ tsp salt and 1 ¼ cup flour. Drizzle with 1/6 cup milk. Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper (can use wax paper or cling wrap). Roll dough out into a shape to fit over the dish – it doesn’t have to be a perfect shape, as long as it is big enough to cover the dish (you can use a wine bottle if you don’t have rolling pin – I know you have wine bottles! If you’re drinking while reading this, make sure the bottle is either empty or unopened.). Peel off top layer of parchment paper. Cut the dough into ½ inch strips with a pizza cutter or knife, and lay them decoratively across the pan. If you’ve had <2 glasses of wine at this point, you can make a lattice. If you’ve had 2+ glasses of wine, try and spell your name across the pie with the strips. If you’ve had the whole bottle of wine, just slap the crust onto the top of the chicken mixture.
- Next tuck the edges of the dough under, so they aren’t hanging off the side of the pan. Lightly spray dough with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 16 minutes, or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.
Makes 8 servings.
The Ivy Box 