New Menu Night: Chicken Pot Pie

Today was cold and rainy.  I am having a hard time getting used to the weather change.  A week ago it was in the 80's and today was barely in the 50's.  When the weather changes drastically like that, my poor body can't take it and it seems like I always end up with a cold.  Yuck!  So there I was today pouting about being cold and having one to boot!  Then I realized today is Thursday!  I could have very easily panicked, but I took one look at the menu and saw the perfect dish.

Every Thursday in our house is New Menu Night.  I figure in order to expand my gluten free world, I need to keep learning and growing.  Each Thursday I either try something completely new or convert an old recipe.  Tonight was Chicken Pot Pie.  Good old comfort food.  Now that is exactly what I needed.

I tried a few new things in this recipe.  First, to make it gluten free.  Second to use fresh ingredients.  And Third, to make it dairy free as well. 

Chicken Pot Pie:

Chicken 4-5 boneless, skinless thighs
olive oil
3 carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 Cup of flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups of water
2 cups of soy milk
Seasonings (Salt, Garlic Pepper, Garlic & Basil)

The Topping:
1 1/2 Cups of GF Bisquick Mix
1 Cup soy milk
2 egg
4 Tbsp of melted butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cook chicken with a little olive oil in a large skillet.  Remove and add chopped carrots, onions, celery, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Cut the chicken into small pieces and return it to the pan.  Add peas. 

Mix flour in with chicken and vegetables to coat.  Add milk, water, bouillon cubes and seasonings.  Heat thoroughly.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish.  In a separate bowl.  Mix Bisquick mix, soy milk, eggs, and melted butter together.  Spoon on top of chicken mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown.  A toothpick inserted into the topping layer should come out clean.

The approximate cost for this dish is $7.50 and it easily feeds a family of five. We even had leftovers. You could use this as a quick stand-alone dish or pair it with this salad for an additional $2.40. Bringing your total to $9.80. 

This is a simple salad made with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, mandarin oranges, and avocado slices.  I tossed it with a vinegar and oil dressing, a little salt and garlic pepper.  Yum!

A couple of things to note.  Not all bouillon cubes are gluten free.  The kind I use are the Herbox brand and can be found here.  Just read the label carefully.  Secondly, to make this completely dairy free you need to use a dairy free butter substitute.  We use Earth Balance.  If you haven't tried it, it tastes and cooks just like the real thing.  It is delicious.  I can't even tell the difference.  One other tip: if your Bisquick top is baked, but not browning, just place it under the broiler.  It browns very quickly and nicely.  Just watch it carefully so it does not burn!


So, how did this dish fare?  After a New Menu Night meal, we take a thumbs up or down vote.  The results were a resounding thumbs up!  I think my cold is already getting better!