By request!! Here’s one of my favorite comfort meals all cleaned up! I associate this with the autumn & sweater weather but WHY WAIT!? And because I promised you guys that almost ANY comfort food could be made clean and guilt-free. For this recipe, you can use just about any veggies. I always go for those with a low glycemic index. So I tend to avoid the classic pot pie veggies like corn, carrots and peas (those all tend to have more natural sugar). (But, come on, they’re still veggies!) So instead of peas, I use green beans. Instead of carrots, I use sweet potatoes (yellow or white) or even parsnips. You can see the variety of different veggies I’ve used in the photos. You can go wild...try celery, broccoli, shredded Brussels, or kale, or mushrooms, or diced squash. Just make sure you sauté the veggies first in order to get them tender, full of flavor and to get their natural juices out and into the sauce so they don’t make your pot pies mushy. (For my vegan buddies, I’ve got a GREAT CHICKPEA potpie recipe if anyone wants it!) Also, as I note in the details, almond flour tends to be more “crumbly” when making a dough, so don’t let that freak you out. I’ve included some tips below on how to handle that. This crust is also much thinner and less flaky than the usual pot pie crust that’s made with regular flour. You’ll notice that in my photos and at home. (I haven’t tried this recipe with brown rice flour so I won’t be able to give any tips on that but I have included some suggestions for that in the comments below the post...). Lastly, I HAVE made this recipe using muffin tins which make the cutest little mini pot pies but they are a LOT more work. I served those at Thanksgiving dinner last year and it was a GREAT side dish. Maybe I’ll post those for the upcoming holidays. (What!? I can’t believe I just uttered those words! It’s still summer!)
As always, please post your comments and photos!! Enjoy!
Ingredients-
For the Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp water
For the Filling:
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp avocado or coconut oil (liquid)
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 2 cups cut green beans (1 inch pieces)
• 3 medium carrots, diced (or substitute with one medium sweet potato diced)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2-4 tsp tapioca flour (as necessary to thicken the sauce)
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4-5 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions- 1. For the Crust: In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix in the ghee or coconut oil & water to create a dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F. 2. For the Filling: Place chicken in a large saucepan and cover with about 2 cups chicken broth/stock (use as much as necessary to cover the chicken). Bring to a boil for approximately 20-25 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts & allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using two forks or gloves hands, once cool. 3. Preheat the avocado or coconut oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions, green beans and sweet potato (or carrots) for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and allow to cook for another minute. 4. Add the almond flour to coat the vegetables. Then, add 2 cups of chicken stock/broth and increase the heat until the mixture boils. Then lower to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken for 5-8 minutes. At this point you can add tapioca flour, one teaspoon at a time in order to thicken the mixture of it doesn’t thicken enough on its own. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat. 5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a pie crust using a rolling pin. Do this on top of a piece of parchment paper so you can easily transfer it to the top of the pie dish by just flipping the parchment paper over. Also, almond flour tends to be more “crumbly”, so don't get frustrated if it seems that way. You can add water to the dough, with your fingers, as you roll it to patch up any broken spots. Also, keep tossing almond flour onto the rolling pin in order to prevent it from sticking. 6. Spoon the chicken filling into a pie dish and then cover it gently with the pie crust, pinching the edges over the dish. (A good tip for a nice golden crust is to brush it with an egg wash. Just beat one egg with a little bit of water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and then brush the egg wash onto the crust. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can paint it on with your fingers.) 7. Before baking, poke 4 small slits into the crust with a butter knife. Then bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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