BRIDGE OF LIFE: One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie (322 calories)

Dinner Recipes

When you think of pot pie, is healthy the first word that comes to mind? How about easy? I didn’t think so. It’s not only a rich and creamy dish, but it usually involves a ton of fuss getting the pie crust to fit around individual bowls. Not to mention all the clean-up that it creates! Well, get ready for a change, because we just created a healthier version of your favorite comfort food. This One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie is not only a one-pot meal, but it’s also low-calorie and filled with nutritious ingredients. And since we use an oven-safe skillet to cook the dish, there are significantly less dishes to clean afterwards!

SkinnyMs

This recipe makes a great addition to low-calorie meal plans, easily fitting into the dinners under 500 calories category. Plus, it’s every bit as satisfying as the original but we made it dairy-free. Talk about a win! Wondering how we pulled it off? We’ll let you in on a few secrets.

Our Not-So-Secret Non-Dairy Sauce

SkinnyMs

For a long time, I thought milk was responsible for the best sauces. Think about it: Alfredo sauce, clam chowder, and mac and cheese. All those things have one very important thing in common, and it’s dairy. Then I read up on the classic mother sauces, and I discovered veloute.

One of the five famous French sauces is a creamy, white sauce consisting of roux (flour and butter) mixed into a rich stock (like chicken, veal, or fish). It doesn’t contain milk, but it has a similar creamy consistency to béchamel (a sauce made from roux and milk).

Which got me thinking: If this classic sauce doesn’t need milk, why should my One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie need it? I omitted it from the recipe and really didn’t miss anything at all! By using a high-quality chicken broth in the recipe, I was able to create all the same flavor with a fraction of the fat.
Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, and Peas

SkinnyMs

There’s a very specific reason we chose all these vegetables for our healthier One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie. They all have a firm texture that gets better and better as the dish bakes away. Especially since the pie crust seals in most of the steam as it’s wrapped around the skillet!

For example, carrots and potatoes are hearty root vegetables. Underneath that pie crust umbrella, these types of veggies transform into soft, melt-in-your-mouth bites. While the carrots add a characteristic sweetness to the pot pie, the potatoes leach out some of their starchiness, helping to thicken the sauce.

The onions and peas are also integral additions that add balanced sweetness. The carrots are sweet in a sugary way, but they’re not enough to carry all the flavor in this pot pie. You need the caramel-like sweetness of onions and the earthy sweetness of the peas. It all comes together to create a variety of flavors and textures that makes each bite of this healthier pot pie completely crave-worthy.

But don’t take our word for it: Give this One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie a try and let us know what you think in the comments!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 yellow onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup potatoes, diced small
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
1 cup peas (fresh, frozen, or low-sodium canned)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (9 inch) whole wheat pie crust

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil in an oven safe skillet. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until the chicken is firm and cooked through. Drain off any excess liquid and add the onion, garlic, potatoes, and carrots. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or just until the onions are translucent and the carrots and potatoes begin to soften.
Stir in the peas and flour. Make sure to coat all the ingredients in the flour. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme.
Remove from heat and top with the pie crust, tucking the edges into the pan. Cut about 4 slits in the top of the crust and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pot-pie sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Next: Shrimp Taco Bowls (330 calories)

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