Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Remember Swanson Chicken Pot Pies, or Beef Pot Pies?  A quick one-dish meal.  The idea was a good one but I’m not sure how good they were for you what with the saturated fats used in the crust, high sodium content, and the thickening used in the gravy.  This recipe for chicken pot pie is not like that.  This is a new and improved version of that classic dish.

It makes use of leftover chicken (or turkey), a simple gravy, and lots of vegetables, baked in a casserole with a single top crust that can be a refrigerated pie dough, or a sheet of puff pastry.  It is quite thick and very filling.  It can be served with some cranberry sauce on the side and a mixed green salad for a complete meal that is conservative on calories (around 400 / serving), and low in carbohydrates, fat and sodium.   Not bad for such delicious comfort food!

CHICKEN POT PIE

SERVINGS:  about 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 4 cups cooked chicken ( or turkey) cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 medium sized carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, cooked until crisp tender, and drained
  • 3 cups frozen pearl onions ( half a 16-ounce bag), not thawed
  • 8 ounces small whole mushrooms, or medium-sized ones quartered
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • Egg glaze:  1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1 refrigerated pie crust, or 1 sheet (half a 17 1/2 ounce package) frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

DIRECTIONS

1.  Peel and cut up carrots.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until crisp tender.  Drain.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Have ready a 2 quart souffle dish or deep casserole.  Spray lightly with non-stick spray.

3.  Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over low heat.  Add flour and stir until smooth and frothy.  Let mixture bubble about 3 minutes and stir often to prevent from browning.  Gradually stir in broth and increase heat to medium.  Simmer stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.  Stir in poultry seasoning, pepper sauce, salt and pepper.

4.  Add cup up chicken, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and peas.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes until heated through.  Transfer to prepared dish.

Add chicken and vegetables to the gravy.

Add chicken and vegetables to the gravy.

5.  Roll out the pie dough or puff pastry to a size big enough to cover the top of casserole, with a slight overhang.  Cut vents in the dough.  Use some of the egg glaze to brush the top edge of the casserole.  Lay the dough on top of the casserole, pressing onto the egg wash.  Flute the edges as desired.  Brush the pastry all over with the egg glaze.

Lay on pastry top and brush with egg glaze.

Lay on pastry top and brush with egg glaze.

6.  Place casserole on a baking sheet and bake 25 – 30 minutes until pastry is golden.  If using refrigerated pie dough, it may take 40 – 45 minutes baking time.

Bake till crust is golden.

Bake till crust is golden.

Serve with cranberry sauce on the side.

Serve with cranberry sauce on the side.

SOURCE:  A Carolyn Original

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Turkey Burgers with the Works

Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there!  I imagine many families will be out by  the grille this weekend, so here’s a little recipe that can be cooked on the grille, but is not the usual beef burgers.

Turkeys are available all year long, but for some reason I only roast one and prepare a turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas.  However, at our house, we really like turkey and all the fixings, so when I found this recipe for turkey burgers that include elements of a full turkey dinner I was hooked.

Especially at this time of year when cooking beef burgers on the grill is so popular, I  suggest you try turkey burgers instead.  They are moist and tasty; reminiscent of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  Not exactly lo-cal, they certainly are more nutritionally dense than a plain ole beef burger on a white bun with catsup.

 TURKEY BURGERS WITH THE WORKS

SERVES  4

. Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 McIntosh apple–peeled,cored, quartered, and finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 smallish ribs celery, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/4 cup stuffing mix, crushed into crumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
  • 4 whole-grain rolls, or sandwich-size English muffins
  • 8 leaves lettuce
Directions
  1. In a non-stick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add the apple, onion and celery; season with the poultry seasoning , and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring occasionally  until the onion is tender, 5-6 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl to cool a little.  Wipe the skillet clean and return to the stove.
  2. Add the turkey and parsley to the apple mixture. season with more salt and pepper as desired, and combine with a fork;  divide into fourths and form into 4 patties.  Poke each patty with your finger to make a depression in the center.  This keeps them flat as they cook, and not puff up in the center.

3.  In the skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the patties for about 6 minutes on each side, lowering the heat the last 3 minutes so they don’t get over-browned.

4.  While the burgers cook, open the cranberry  sauce, and slice into rounds;  lightly toast rolls or English muffins and spread with remaining tablespoon butter.

5.  To serve, place burgers on buttered roll bottoms, top with lettuce,  cranberry sauce and buttered tops.

These burgers may also be cooked on a grill, but use a fine grate so pieces of the burgers do not fall into the fire.

SOURCE:  Adapted from a recipe by Rachael Ray