Scratch-Made Sweet Potato & Chicken Pot Pie

I gave the husband a choice of four dinners one night last week, three of which were casserole or comfort-food meals; the fourth was a peanut-sauce-covered chicken and rice dish. Well, he told me they all sounded good and to pick one. Feeling adventurous, I chose the chicken and peanut butter dish. Oh, what a mistake that was. I'm not sharing the details because it was a complete failure and I quickly lost the recipe, but basically it was tasteless. Somehow it didn't even taste like peanut butter - it was just a brown bowl of chicken and rice covered with a gritty sauce. 


So, after our unappealing dinner was served, the husband admitted he'd secretly hoped I'd pick one of those other casserole-type dishes. (That'll teach him to be indecisive!) But I felt bad after serving him such a bunch of slop, so I thought I'd make it up to him this week with a big chicken pot pie. Unfortunately, we were fresh out of celery and green beans (seriously?) so our pie ended up being quite orange, but it was still pretty tasty.

Scratch-Made Sweet Potato & Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:

7 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

a dash of poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Whole Wheat Crust:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons reduced fat margarine
1/3 cup 1% low-fat milk (or whatever you've got in the fridge)

Chop the chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake the chicken at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until it's cooked.

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray and, over medium heat, saute onions and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, partially covered. Potatoes should be a slightly tender, but still undercooked. Remove from heat.

Combine sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour, poultry seasoning and basil in a small bowl. Add to vegetables, along with chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well; pour into a casserole dish.

Prepare biscuit crust: Cut your cold margarine (or butter, if you prefer) into pea-size pieces. Combine the flours, baking powder, sage, salt and margarine in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles Parmesan cheese. Slowly pour the cold milk into the processor, giving the mixture quick pulses until a dough begins to form. 

Remove the dough from the processor and form it into a ball, adding a bit more flour if it's too sticky. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it is large enough to fit your casserole dish. 

OK, my dough didn't fit my casserole perfectly.

Roll the crust around your rolling pin and gently spread it over the chicken mixture. Prick the dough several times with a fork. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Let stand for 5 minutes and serve. 

Our filling was a little runny, but it firmed up very nicely by the second day.

Amount Per Recipe: 4 Servings

Calories 391.7, Total Fat 13.7 g, Total Carbohydrate 49.7 g, Dietary Fiber 6.1 g, Sugars 7.6 g, Protein 18.3 g