Chicken Pot Pie with an Almond Cheddar Crust
The last few weeks have been crazy for this dietitian. My baby girl will be here in less than a month, so I’ve been rushing to get her room ready, clothes washed, and hospital bags packed. Plus, I was fortunate enough to have two baby showers recently. Pictured is me at 35 weeks with some of my local dietitian friends. I even ate a cupcake without checking my blood sugar after (I’m a rebel sometimes)! One of my amazing gifts was a BOB running stroller. My post-pregnancy goal is to complete the Arcardia triathlon again in August, so the stroller will be great for the running training portion. It’s really important for me to have a fun fitness goal for after she arrives–for my health and sanity. I hear motherhood is just a tad crazy in the beginning, so I know it will be a challenge to balance my time and energy, but I have a goal to achieve! I’ll keep everyone updated on my progress with getting back in shape and getting a new nutrition plan lined up post baby. I can’t deny it will be nice to eat more carbs again after the birth, since my gestational diabetes will be no more. As of right now though, I’m still counting my carbs, and trying to make healthy lower carb meals–like this chicken pot pie made with an almond meal and cheddar crust! I never said low-carb had to be any less delicious!
Whether you are gluten-free, diabetic, or just looking for a tasty alternative to the classic chicken pot pie, I know you will love this recipe. Instead of using heavy cream and butter for the crust and filling, I went with 1% milk and olive oil to make it heart healthier. There is also NO chopping of vegetables required for this meal, because I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables–the standard bag with green beans, carrots, peas, and corn. I also used shredded rotisserie chicken as another time saver. For the almond meal crust, you could definitely use a store-bought brand like Bob Mills almond meal/flour, or you can easily make your own in a food processor or high-powered blender using roasted unsalted almonds. Simply run the almonds through a food processor until there are no more nut pieces, and it resembles a course flour. If you grind too much, you will have almond butter (not a bad mistake). The crust recipe is very forgiving, so don’t worry if your almond meal is too course or fine; I still had some chunks in mine with no baking consequence. The recipe is very easy to prepare–just some mixing and heating! It’s also super filling and savory, making it the ultimate healthified comfort food. For you almond meal crust skeptics, my husband absolutely loved this recipe, and he doesn’t even like regular chicken pot pie!
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{Chicken Pot Pie with an Almond Cheddar Crust}
This gluten-free, lower-carb chicken pot pie is topped with a crunchy almond flour and cheddar crust. You save time on the filling by using frozen vegetables and shredded rotisserie chicken.
Crust adapted from: Almond Flour Biscuits
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For Crust
1 1/2 cups almond meal (store bought or make your own)
1/4 cup 1% milk
3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
For filling
3/4 lb shredded rotisserie chicken (or cooked, shredded chicken or turkey breast)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp corn starch
1 16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables: green beans, peas, carrots, corn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
For almond meal topping: In a small bowl, whisk together milk, olive oil, and egg, then stir in almond meal, cheese, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Set aside.
For filling: In a medium sized pan, whisk together chicken broth, milk, cornstarch, and olive oil until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium high heat until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat to low, and stir in spices, chicken, and frozen vegetables. Let cook for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are thawed. Pour filling into an 8×8 square pan. Drop the almond meal dough by the spoonful over the filling, covering the entire surface.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the crust is lightly browned. Cut into 6 portions and enjoy!
**You could substitute whole wheat flour for the crust instead of almond meal if you don’t care for it to be gluten-free or higher in carbs.
Nutrition info per serving: 460 cal, 31 g fat, 22 g carb, 27 g protein, 6 g fiber
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