A few years back I posted a recipe for Lazy Chicken Pot Pie. It was a really simple and tasty dinner, but the one thing that always bugged me about it was that it used condensed cream of mushroom soup. Condensed soups are full of sodium and they’re so easy to substitute “cream of…soup” with a healthier homemade version.  This is what I’ve done in this recipe, and it turned out just as creamy and delicious as the original recipe. I still used frozen vegetables to make it somewhat “lazy” and quick. Not only are frozen vegetables fast, they are just as nutritious, if not more so, than fresh produce because they’re frozen at the peak of ripeness.

What did the Whine Critics think? Well, unfortunately I didn’t get a photo because they weren’t all sitting at the table at the same time. Cole wasn’t feeling well, Ayla was napping, so it was just Bennett with us. He said it was “a little good” but he didn’t eat all of it.

Tony, on the other hand, ate it all up. I had told him we were having chicken pot pie and he seemed a little disappointed, but when he saw it and tasted it he said, “Oh this is chicken pot pie? This is good!” He must have thought I meant it was an actual pie or something. This version is more like chicken and biscuits, which he apparently prefers.

Chicken Pot Pie (No Condensed Soup)

Ingredients:

Filling
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 yellow orange bell pepper, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp died thyme
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 can evaporated 2% milk (370 ml)
3 cups mixed frozen vegetables (ie corn, peas, carrots, etc)
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Biscuit Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded herbed Havarti cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
3. Add onion, celery, bell pepper. Saute until vegetables have softened.
4. Sprinkle basil, thyme and flour over the vegetables.
5. Whisk in the evaporated milk. Continue whisking until it comes to a boil and thickens.
6. Add frozen vegetables. Cook until vegetables have thawed.
7. Add chicken, cook until chicken has heated through.
8. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
9. Pour the mixture into a 3 quart casserole dish.
10. Prepare the biscuit topping by combining flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
11. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter.
12. Make a well in the center, and add egg and milk. Stir until fully combined.
13. Mix in the cheese.
14. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of the chicken mixture, until most of the top is covered.
15. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the topping is fully cooked through and begins to brown.