“Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie

YEAH!  My favorite time of the year is officially here! FALL!  Yesterday the sun was finally out and it was a wonderful 75 degrees.  I love this weather, although I am told that Fall doesn’t last long around here.  Last night it dropped down to 56 degrees.  I woke up a bit chilly this morning, not a problem because I have a husband to curl up to and a very furry dog to warm my feet.

Yesterday in celebration of the start of the new season I decided to make something very “Fall” and very yummy.  I went cruising around on the Internet trying to figure out what I can do with chicken that would be interesting and Fall-“y”.   Also since it recently came to my attention that this blog could very possibly be making me fat, I was also looking for a lighter more healthy recipe, then my usual.  It still has to taste good though because I am not about to start munching on rice cakes here.

I haven’t mentioned it before but I went to my primary care doctor just over a month ago and she was kind enough to bring to my attention that I was maybe putting on a few extra pounds.  I deduced that this blog is making me fat.  😀  However since that visit I put my rear into high gear and have lost about 8 lbs. YEAH for me!  However this blog in no way is going to become a “diet” blog.  I will continue to cook delicious hearty food, albeit lighter versions and I will not be having seconds and thirds.  Not that I did before…..really I didn’t….*crossing fingers behind back*  Anyway enough about my battle of the expanding waistline, back to the food.

While on my search I came upon a recipe for “Enlighten” Chicken Pot pie.  I though chicken pot pie would definitely be interesting but I still wanted it to be more “Fall”  and then I found Autumn Chicken Pot Pie.   I put the two together and came up with my own version of “Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie.  The end result had every element I was looking for.  It was warm and hearty, and it has all the things that make you think of Fall, like butternut squash, apples and cranberries.   The sauce is infused with ginger root and sage which just warms your heart when you take a bite and it is so thick and flavorful you would swear there is butter in it, but there is no butter in this pie.

My only apprehension about it when I took it out of the oven was that I thought the topping was really thick, but in my opinion it actually went very well with the filling.

I promise you that you will love this and so will your family.  I think I maybe having some of the leftovers tonight.

Toodles!

Print Recipe

“Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie  (adapted from epicurious.com and Publix)

Filling

• 2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium nonfat
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 3 sage leaves , fresh
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 medium carrots, cut into slices
• 1 medium apples,Granny Smith cored and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast

Dough

• 2 1/4 cups Bisquick, reduced-fat
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Drop pearl onions into boiling water for 30 seconds; drain, peel.

In a large pot combine 1 cup broth, onions, carrots & squash.  Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes or until squash is tender.

In a separate bowl combine cornstarch and 1 cup skim milk, stir until smooth, set aside.

Add apples, cranberries, salt, pepper, lemon juice, ginger rood and sage to the pot. Pour 1/2 of the cornstarch mixture into the pot, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and stir until thickened, repeat with remaining cornstarch mixture.  You want it think enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Add cooked chicken breast, stir until well combined.

Pour into a 9″ deep-dish pie plate. To make the topping, combine Bisquick, lemon zest, ground ginger and skim milk in a bowl. Using hands, lay topping over filling surface (flour your hands it’s sticky) and tap it down. Bake 15 minutes or until top is golden.

Servings 8 slices (hungry man may want 2 servings, mine did)

Cal:283 / Fat:6.7/ Protein:17.3 / Fiber:2.9 / Carb:38.1

Nutrition Grade: A

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Nutritional Information can not be guaranteed to be exact.  Nutritional information is obtained by using about.com recipe analyzer.