Yesterday was March 14 — 3.14 — affectionately known in some circles as Pi Day. I thought it would be clever to make a chicken pot pie for dinner, assuming my math-loving 8 year-old would be amused. He was not, but it did remind me of one of my and J.’s favorite exchanges in the movie Fight Club, when Edward Norton’s character Tyler and Brad Pitt as his alter-ego are talking on a plane.
EN: “Tyler, you are by far the most interesting single-serving friend I’ve ever met. See, I have this thing: everything on a plane is single-serving…”
BP: “Oh I get it, it’s very clever.”
EN: “Thank you.”
BP: “How’s that working out for you?”
EN: “What?”
BP: “Being clever.”
EN: “Great.”
BP: “Keep it up then…”
Right. Back to the pi… I mean pie. This is a super-easy recipe, since the only cooking you’re doing is thickening a sauce. Everything else is pre-prepped, dump and back. You can buy a rotisserie chicken if you don’t have leftovers to use up, and the vegetables go in frozen. Mix it up and bake, and you’ve got a much healthier version of a TV dinner staple.
It was surprisingly delicicous. The boys wouldn’t eat it but me, my mom, and dad all loved it and they were eager to take home the leftovers. You won’t miss the milk found in other recipes at all.
Non-Dairy Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from The Non-Dairy Queen’s Chicken Pot Pie
3 c. low-sodium vegetable stock, divided
4 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
1 16-oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables (blend of corn, carrots, green beans, & peas)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground dried savory
salt and pepper to taste
2 9″ whole wheat pie crusts (I like Wholly Wholesome brand)
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Heat 2.5 cups of the stock in a large pot over high heat, until it comes to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining half cup of stock and the flour together, until it is totally smooth with no lumps. This is called a slurry. Carefully and slowly pour the slurry into the boiling stock, whisk constantly until the stock thickens and is smooth.
Continuing cooking over a medium heat, and add in the chicken, vegetables, and seasoning. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Set one pie crust on top of a baking sheet to protect your oven from any spills. Carefully pour the pie filling into the first pie crust, and then invert the second crust on top, cutting a few small vents in the top with a sharp knife.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top crust becomes lightly browned, or according to the directions on the pie crust you’re using. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
The original recipe uses pork — General Tso’s Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos With Orange-Broccoli Slaw — but boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an easy substitution. That’s what I did. The chicken thighs only need to cook for about 4 hours on low in your Crock-Pot.
I omitted the cornstarch, and once the chicken was fully cooked I removed it in order to shred it fully. While I was doing that, I reduced the remaining sauce in a small pan on the stove, and found that I could get it to thicken slightly in a short amount of time. If you do use the cornstarch, you will likely get a much glossier, thicker sauce, so the choice is yours.
I used my own dressing for the broccoli slaw, which includes sriracha, honey, fresh lemon, and rice wine vinegar. The slaw is better if it sits for a few hours in the dressing, but its crisp and spicy flavor is a good compliment to the saucy chicken.
A. was happy to eat a couple of these chicken tortillas, and even asked for them again the next night. On the other hand, I could barely get G. to try a plain tortilla. So, a semi-success. I liked the flavor of this dish a lot, and think it performs well as a slow-cooker meal. It worth repeating a couple of times a year.
Tired of beef meatballs in marinara sauce? This is a delicious alternative that can still be served with spaghetti if you have picky kids like mine. The recipe for Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze comes from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and it is a keeper.
I followed the recipe exactly, except that I did use the full amount of fresh ginger and I bumped up the amount of cilantro (because I love it). The ground turkey mixture is extremely wet, but if you gently shape the meatballs as Deb explains — dampen your hands with cold water and move the mixture from hand to hand as you form it into a ball — they’ll turn out fine. I had to re-wet my hands a couple of times.
These meatballs are fantastic. The sauce, which reduces beautifully, is thick and glossy and just like you’d get at a good restaurant. The meatballs are tender and bursting with a light, fresh favor thanks to the herbs. Because the sauce is a salty and clings to the meatballs, it contrasts perfectly with the lighter, sweeter note of the turkey.
Unfortunately, I could not get either of my boys to try them. I think on another night, A. would have tried a meatball without the sauce — he loves cilantro too — but he was tired and not in the mood to be adventurous. I froze a good portion of the meatballs in their sauce, but did not care for the way they later defrosted and reheated. As reheated leftovers, the meatballs were slightly spongy and watery, and the sauce reduced a bit further and was too salty for my taste. So, if you make them, eat them fresh! I’m sure in most households, there won’t be any leftovers to worry about, anyway.
This is the third time I’m posting about this recipe for Sriracha-Glazed Chicken and Onions, so you know it must be good! Anna from Cookie Madness passed it on to me originally, and when I first made it back in 2008 I did it without sriracha. It was good, but a very different result both visually and flavor-wise than using hot sauce.
When I posted about this chicken dish last year, I was all about the sriracha and I reiterated how important it is to cook the onions low and slow, separately from the chicken. It’s not an exaggeration to say I had those onions on the stove for 45 minutes when I made it again last week.
The sauce is a deep mahogany color, and the onions taste buttery from their long cook time (no dairy in this recipe, though). I served the chicken with whole wheat thin spaghetti, and a chopped salad that included pea shoots, peppers, cucumber, and broccoli. This is one recipe that will remain in our rotation — I just need to remember to make it more often.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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