Ashley’s Healthier Take on Chicken Pot Pie

 

 

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Ashley’s Healthier Take On Chicken Pot Pie


  • Total Time: 55
  • Yield: 6 1x

Description

A traditional comfort food recipe since the 14th century, this dose of savory warmth is normally 790 calories with a heavy dose of fat, sodium, and simple carbohydrates.

In my kitchen, I do what I can to make these staples healthier without sacrificing flavor. My pot pie is 495 calories per serving, lower in fat and sodium, half of the carbs, but just as hearty.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 TB butter
  • 2 dashes of cooking oil
  • 1/2 C or 1 small yellow onion; diced
  • 1 C carrots; sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves; minced
  • 1/2 C gluten free flour (I love using Cassava flour because it is light + airy)
  • 1 1/22 C chicken broth, organic + low-sodium
    • Start with 1 1/2 C and see if you need to thin out the filling
  • 3/4 C coconut cream; as thick as, but healthier than using heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp (+) fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 C peas
  • 2 1/23 C diced chicken
  • 1 prepared, gluten-free pie crust “top”
  • 1 egg; beaten


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Melt the butter with the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat – 1 minute.
  3. Add in the carrots and onion and cook until lightly softened- 5 minutes.
  4. Add in the garlic- stir for 1 minute.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour- mix well.
  6. Whisk in the stock- gradually add it in to see how much is needed based on the thickness.
  7. Mix in the coconut cream.
  8. Let warm- roughly 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients: peas, chicken, thyme, salt + pepper.
  9. Top with the pie crust; patiently spreading it across the filling.
  10. Scramble an egg and brush the crust with the egg ‘wash.’
  11. Bake for 30-35 minutes; until the crust is golden brown.
  12. Cool until ready-to-serve.

Notes

Materials Needed:

  • Cast iron skillet; 10-inch
  • Carrot peeler
  • Measuring cups
  • Food (often referred to as a ‘pastry’) brush – to brush the egg wash atop the crust
  • Optional: rolling pin
    • The pre-made pie crust can also be put between 2 pieces of parchment paper and manipulated with your hands

Cooking + Nutrition Tips:

  • Add color and varied nutrition with multi-colored carrots
  • You can do ANY veggies you want. I wanted to add a daily serving of leafy greens to boost nutrition by adding kale or spinach at the tail end, before baking the dish.
  • Cut down on cooking time by using leftover or prepping the chicken ahead of time and/or having all veggies chopped ahead of time.
  • If you don’t have a cast-iron, an oven-safe pan is an ok replacement as long as it is the same size. (so the crust can fit atop of it)
  • This is already lower in carbs than most pot pies because we aren’t putting it within an entire pie, just covering it with pie crust. You can limit the carbs even more by simply skipping or halving the peas and reduce the filling overall (broth: 1 C, flour: ¼-1/3 C, and coconut cream: ½ C)
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Category: Entree

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 495
  • Sugar: 7
  • Sodium: 450
  • Fat: 34
  • Carbohydrates: 43
  • Fiber: 5
  • Protein: 24

Keywords: Chicken, Entree, Gluten-Free, Chicken Pot Pie, Recipe Rehab

Herb Air Fried Chicken with Blackberry-Hoisin Sauce

 

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Herb Air Fried Chicken with Blackberry-Hoisin Sauce


  • Total Time: 22-25 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

I love this recipe because it is not only wonderfully flavorful, but it is perfect year-round. With a healthy dose of greens, easy-to-make and filling crispy chicken, and a sauce with a kick, this is one tasty meal.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
  • 1 C gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 C cassava flour
  • 12 TB Italian herbs
  • 1 egg, scrambled
  • Cooking oil spray
  • Pinches of sea salt + pepper

For the Salad:

  • 3 C arugula
  • 1/2 C goat cheese, crumbled
  • Lemon zest
  • Coarse-grained sea salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

For the Sauce:

  • 1/2 C blackberry preserves (or make it from scratch with ingredients below)
  • 1/4 C hoison sauce, generally found in the international section of any grocery store and there are gluten-free versions available
  • 1 TB butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 tsp ginger, minced
  • 1/41/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 TB apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Homemade Jam:

  • 1 C blackberries
  • 2 TB sugar
  • 1 TB lemon juice
  • 1 TB butter


Instructions

For the Chicken:

  1. Slice the chicken breasts into strips or cubes.
  2. Scramble the egg into a bowl.
  3. Mix the breadcrumbs, flour, and herbs together in a wider, shallow bowl.
  4. Dip the chicken into the egg, shaking off excess, roll in the breading mix, shake again, and place on a lined air-fryer tray.
  5. Repeat until all the chicken is coated and lined up with space between each piece. Spray or brush both sides with cooking oil.
  6. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and cooking time of 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness.
  7. Be sure to flip halfway through.

NOTE: it can be baked! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and continue with the same preparation, using a lined baking sheet, and cooking for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the Sauce:

  1. While the chicken cooks, add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in premade blackberry preserves (or see below for making your own instant version before beginning the sauce,) hoisin sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
  3. Heat and stir until thickened.

If making your own preserves like I did:

  • Start with 1 C of blackberries in a saucepan and 1 TB lemon juice over medium-low heat. Add in 2 TB sugar. Stirring to dissolve.
  • Melt 1 TB of butter into the mix and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. Mash the mix up and set aside. Then, start in another saucepan with the instructions.

For the Salad + Serving:

  1. While it is cooking, you can put the salad ingredients into a bowl + gently toss.
  2. Brush the sauce over the prepared chicken and serve over the salad with an optional drizzle of extra sauce.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Air Fried

Keywords: Chicken, Air Fried Chicken, Salad, Entree, Gluten-Free

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Grilled Balsamic Steak Summer Salad

Grilled Balsamic Steak Summer Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade:

  • 1 lb lean steak, sliced
  • 2 TB balsamic vinegar
  • 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 small garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
  • 6 cups watercress
  • 1 corn on the cob, husk removed
  • Avocado oil spray-for cooking the corn

 

To Toss on Top, a Gremolata:

  • 2 TB basil leaves, minced
  • 2 TB parsley, minced – MY OWN PARSLEY
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 TB lemon zest

Simple Vinaigrette:

  • 3 TB balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp dijon mustard
  • Dash of salt and fresh ground black pepper

TO MAKE:

  1. Mix together the marinade ingredients in a bowl, pour over sliced steak in a bag, marinate chilled for 30 minutes (can be done overnight as well.)
  2. While marinating, prepare the salad veggies and mix the salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Heat the grill to medium heat.
  4. While it is heating, combine the basil, parsley, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Toss the greens
  6. Spray the corn and thickly sliced red onion rings with oil and cook each side for 5 minutes or until grill marks form on the corn kernels and onion becomes charred brown. Remove, let cool slightly, then slice kernels off of the cob and into a large serving bowl and chop the onions and put them in the bowl with the corn.
  7. Place the steak on a grill pan – grill both sides 4-5 minutes for rare to medium rare. Reminder that it keeps cooking a few minutes after it is removed from the heat.
  8. Place the greens in the bowl with the corn and onion, add the gorgonzola, + tomatoes. Toss with half of the dressing mixed with half of the herb mix. Serve it beneath steak slices and drizzle with more of the dressing and sprinkle with more of the herb mix.

Antioxidant-Rich Blueberry + Blackberry Summer Salad

Antioxidant-Rich Blueberry + Blackberry Summer Salad

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups arugula, watercress, or baby bok choi
  • 6–8 large slices of avocado
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 3/4 cup blueberries
  • 3/4 cup cucumber, sliced
  • 1 TB mint, chopped
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS:

  • For Protein: sliced grilled steak, hard- or soft-boiled eggs
  • For Spice: pickled radish or red pepper flakes (off-sets the sweetness)

For the Dressing:

  • 1 TB lime juice
  • 1/2 TB maple syrup
  • Salt + pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 TB hemp hearts

TO MAKE:

  1. Simply plate the salad ingredients + then mix the dressing in a small bowl. Dress when serving to keep the salad crisp.

Quick and Easy Pickling Recipe For a Spiced Condiment

Quick and Easy Pickling Recipe For a Spiced Condiment

THE RECIPE

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • A skillet
  • Smaller glass mason jars with lids, unless making larger portions
  • A sauce pan

INGREDIENTS:

VEGGIES TO PICKLE:

  • 1 bunch radishes, cleaned + sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced + seeds removed (or not if you want spicier)
  • OR 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced if not into jalapeños
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes form medium spice | 1 tsp red pepper flakes for spicier
  • 1 tsp peppercorns

FOR THE PICKLING BRINE:

  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup water
  • 3 TB honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp sea salt

TO MAKE:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey or maple syrup, + salt.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  3. Pour the brine over the radishes + jalapeños in jars.
  4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature without the lids on.
  5. Serve immediately or cover + refrigerate. Lasts for a few weeks, but best served within the first 5 days.

OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOOD TO PICKLE:

asparagus, beets, bell peppers, blueberries, cauliflower, carrots, cherries, fennel, ginger, grapes, green beans, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peaches, peppers, radishes, ramps, rhubarb, strawberries, squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon