There is nothing like a home cooked meal after you have a baby. Of course after having a baby a home cooked meals are a rarity because there just isn’t enough time to make them. Heck, I’m lucky if I remember to feed myself most days. One of the best gifts, by far, to give a family with a new baby is a home cooked meal. You just can’t beat it. Please welcome today’s guest blogger, Jenn, who is sharing one of her favorite meals to bring to friends with new babies.
Hi, I’m Jenn and I blog over at The Cake Dish. I’m still pretty new to Blogland but so far it’s so much fun! I usually share a lot of yummy sweets because they’re my first loves. But, I love to cook, too! I am one of those cooks who is always experimenting in the kitchen and I typically don’t use recipes. I may read one for an idea of what to do but it’s rare that I follow one completely.
I’m so excited that Alli is giving me a chance to share on her awesome blog! When she issued the call for guest bloggers, I had to giggle. Usually, when a friend is having a baby, I’ll offer to drop off dinner for the family, not to write a blog post! She had the great idea of writing about a dish that I would make for that purpose and so here I am… This one is also a great choice to make for your family.
As you can tell, this isn’t your typical Chicken Pot Pie. You can actually see the vegetables and chicken in this one! Rachel Ray made one similar to this that I saw a few years ago, but she added ingredients that my family wouldn’t like. I made some adaptations and this dish makes regular appearances on our weekly menu!
You start out by peeling and dicing potatoes into bite-size cubes.
Then chop up some carrots and celery, too. I even use the celery leaves – there’s too much flavor in them to throw them away.
I cut chicken tenders into bite-size pieces. I heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and add the chicken with some salt and pepper. I usually throw in a little garlic powder or pressed, fresh garlic, too.
When the chicken is cooked through, I transfer it to the casserole dish that I will use for the pie.
I add a little more oil to the pan and in go the veggies! I just stir them around to get them all coated in oil.
I tend to let them cook uncovered for several minutes and then throw the lid on for a while so the steam will help them cook quicker. Once they’re close to done – keep in mind that they are going to cook more so don’t let them get too soft – I scoot them over to one side of the pan and add some butter and flour to make a roux.
I stir the butter and flour in with each other and then into the veggies. After I let the flour cook out for a minute or two, I add chicken stock, stirring as I pour. At first it will form a very thin sauce but as it simmers, it will begin to thicken into a golden gravy.
You will want to taste it at this point and season as needed – I usually add more salt and pepper. Then, stir the chicken into this mixture along with frozen green peas.
All of this deliciousness goes into the casserole dish. If you are making this to drop off for someone, it can also go into a disposable aluminum pan so you don’t have to deal with having dishes returned.
I usually top this with sheets of puff pastry but the grocery store I was at didn’t have any. I could have gone to another one but I decided to try it with crescent rolls instead – they’re similar to puff pastry… I laid the crescent roll dough over the top of the chicken and veggie mixture and bushed an egg wash on top of them.
I then popped it into a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the crust was golden brown.
The crescent rolls were a big hit for my family. This is something I would be proud to share with a friend, especially if she had a sweet new baby I could cuddle while she enjoyed it!
Ingredients
- 3 c cubed potatoes
- 2 c diced carrots
- 2 c diced celery
- 1 c frozen green peas
- 1 lb cubed chicken tenderloins
- 16 oz chicken stock
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tbsp all purpose flour
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 can crescent rolls,
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a large skillet, add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and garlic if desired. Once chicken is cooked through, transfer to the casserole dish that you will bake the pot pie in. Add a few more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and put potatoes, carrots and celery into pan. Stir around until all veggies are coated in oil. Allow to cook uncovered for several minutes. Then cover and let the veggies soften. After about 10 minutes, slide them over to the side of the pan and add the butter and flour. Mix the butter and flour together and then into the vegetables. The flour will need to cook out for about a minute. Then add the chicken stock while stirring the mixture. As the sauce simmers, it will thicken to a gravy consistency. Add the chicken and peas and season if needed.
- Pour this into the casserole dish and top with a sheet of crescent roll dough. Brush the top of the dough with an egg wash and bake for about 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
one of my all time favorite comfort food meals and this chicken pot pie recipe looks delish! Great guest post
This has me craving cold temperatures and a hot fire. I almost want winter to come. Almost.
Me too! I thought the exact same thing when I saw this post!!!
YUM! Love ckn pot pie!
Here’s my CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BAR recipe if you want a great dessert to take to functions!
http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2011/08/chocolate-caramel-gooey-bars.html
Traci @ Ordinary Inspirations
This is one of my favorite dishes!
Jenn’s Chicken Pot Pie is just amazing. Great photo’s, and great recipe. Hope you have a wonderful holiday week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come back soon!
Miz Helen
I love making my own chicken pot pie. It is such a comforting dinner to have on a cold rainy day
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