Mmmmmmm
My family really enjoys Chicken Pot Pie. I personally, am not a huge fan of the "pie" part (way too doughy for me). For the past few years I've been making a chicken stew/soup thing and topped it with some puffed pastry. I've played around with a few recipes and this seems to be the winner, I adapted this recipe from here. There is a part that requires the stove, but you can do it in advance or use a shortcut.
Slow-cooker Chicken Pot Pie
Slow Cooker Part:
- 1.5-2 lbs cubed cooked chicken (I use leftover BBQ or cooked chicken and freeze it until I'm ready to use it. Alternatively, you can also put raw cubed chicken in if you like)
- 1.5 cups frozen peas
- 1.5 cups diced carrots (fresh or frozen)
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 2 cups cubed potatoes
- 5 cups of Cream of Chicken soup (I use homemade but you can also used canned: 3 cans condensed + 1.5 cups water)
- (Optional: 2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water)
- Puff pastry ( I buy the frozen sheet kind and leave it in the fridge that morning to defrost)
Stove Part: Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- 4 cups chicken broth (homemade or in a box)
- 1/2 cup cream (15% to half & half, whatever you have around)
- 1.5 cups milk (I use 1%)
- 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
If you're going to make the Cream of Chicken soup start here:
- Bring broth and cream to a light boil over medium heat
- While its coming to a boil whisk together the milk and flour until smooth
- Once the broth just comes to a boil reduce heat a bit and slowly whisk in the milk/flour, stirring constantly
- Add seasoning and keep stirring over a lower heat until it thickens up a bit
In the Slow-cooker:
- Put the veggies and chicken in the slow-cooker
- Add the Cream of Chicken soup
- Mix it all up and cook on low for about 6-8 hours
- If you don't find it thick enough you can add the cornstarch mixture, stir and let thicken for 10 mins.
- About 25 minutes before you're ready to eat preheat the oven to 400F
- Cut the puff pastry into squares (or use fun shaped cookie cutters to get the kids to eat it) and bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and place 1-2 pastry squares on top (my kids like to eat it with crackers instead)
- Enjoy!!!!
There are a variety of shortcuts you can take as well as things you can do in advance to make this even easier for the weeknight.
- Cut up all your veggies in advance or buy already cut frozen ones
- Make the cream of chicken soup in advance
- Use leftover chicken or buy the precooked BBQ whole chicken and take the meat off
- If you want to make your own broth simply put the chicken carcass in the slow-cooker, covered with water for 10-12 hours on low, then cool and strain.
- If you are out of the house too long and don't want your stew to overcook try plugging your slow-cooker into a timer (like the one you buy at the hardware store for your lights)
Comment if you have any questions!